|
Idiom |
Definition |
Usage |
|
LABOR OF LOVE |
something done out of affection or great interest |
1. Martha loves to knit sweaters for her children. She could
buy them for less money than it costs her to make them, but
they are a labor of love for her.
2. When Ralph built a wagon for his son, he picked out the
wood himself, carefully sanded each piece, and hand painted
it with more coats of paint than necessary. Building the
wagon was a labor of love because it was for his son. |
| lady killer |
man who
some women find very charming and attractive |
The man
in the movie was a lady killer. |
| lady's man |
man who
is popular with women |
He is a
lady's man and always seems to have a lot
of women interested in him. |
| laid back |
calm and
relaxed |
You need
to be more laid back. |
| laid up |
confined
to bed |
He has
been laid up for a few days because of a
cold. |
|
LAME DUCK |
a person who holds an office but has little real influence
because he or she has not been reelected
The expression suggests that a lame duck—a duck that cannot
fly—is ineffectual. It originally comes from the 1760s
London Stock Market, where it referred to investors who were
unable to pay their debts. |
1. After an election, a lame duck congress often gets a lot
of serious work done because the members who have been voted
out are no longer running for office and no longer have to
worry about pleasing their constituents.
2. The board of directors chose a new chairman to take over
running the company. The old chairman had a few weeks left
before he had to step aside, but his workers no longer
feared him because he was a lame duck. |
| land on one's feet |
come out
of a bad situation successfully |
He always
manages to land on his feet. |
|
LAP OF LUXURY, LIVE IN THE |
to be very comfortable because one is well-off financially
The lap of luxury means a very comfortable life because one
is rich, whereas the life of Riley is an easygoing life
because one doesn’t have to work or isn’t working. Someone
who is poor can lead the life of Riley if he or she doesn’t
mind being poor. |
1. Because she was the richest movie star in the business,
she had a magnificent house, servants, cars and clothes. She
was living in the lap of luxury.
2. If this business deal succeeds, we’ll never have to worry
about money again. We’ll be living in the lap of luxury. |
| lap up |
drink
with his tongue |
The dog
began to lap up the milk that was given to
him. |
| lap up |
take in
eagerly |
He could
lap up the praise that his boss gave him. |
| lash out |
verbally
abuse |
He began
to lash out at the man who was sitting next
to him. |
|
LAST BUT NOT LEAST |
the final item on a list, but not the least important
The expression is used before the last in a series of items
to indicate that it is not less important for being last.
Usually the series has been randomly arranged and no
specific order of importance has been assigned to the items. |
1. If you want to borrow my car, you have to follow the
rules. First, you must obey the speed limit, fill up the gas
tank before you bring it back, and bring it back before I
need it tomorrow. Last but not least, you may not drive it
if you have been drinking alcohol.
2. John accomplished a lot in his lifetime. He was a teacher
and an activist for the poor, he wrote several books, and
last but not least, he raised four successful children. |
|
LAST DITCH EFFORT |
a very strenuous final attempt.
The expression often conveys a sense of great physical
effort and is usually used when the outcome is likely to be
unsuccessful. |
1. I’m going to try a last ditch effort to uproot this old
oak tree myself before I call the tree company to come and
do it by machine
2. Ronnie slipped and fell as he ran to catch the baseball,
but when he looked up, the ball was still sailing through
the air. Ronnie got up and made a last ditch effort to catch
the ball. |
| last minute |
there is
no more time |
I usually
put off writing my papers until the last minute. |
|
LAST/FINAL STRAW |
the final thing; the thing or action that is too much or
goes too far
Synonym: straw that broke the camel’s back
Both expressions suggest the idea of loading straw (a
relatively light material) onto a camel’s back until one
final light straw (the last straw) breaks the camel’s back. |
1. Constance finally quit her job because the boss asked her
to make the coffee and act as a hostess, even though she was
hired as an accountant. The last straw came when the boss
asked her to go out and buy his family’s Christmas presents
and then complained because she couldn’t get her work done.
2. First the builder dropped paint on their new carpet, then
he backed his ladder through their window. When he backed
his truck over their prized flowerbed, it was the final
straw, and they told him not to come back. |
|
LAUGH ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK |
to be proved right or successful in the face of scorn,
particularly as regards money
Compare to: have the last laugh
The expression suggests that the person who triumphs enjoys
laughing at those who doubted him while he takes the fruits
of his success (money) to the bank. He will be the rich one. |
1. No one wanted to invest in Paul’s scheme to make money,
because they thought it sounded crazy. When it worked, he
laughed all the way to the bank.
2. People think Mrs. Walker is silly to save money now for
her retirement, but she’ll laugh all the way to the bank
when she has a comfortable lifestyle later. |
|
LAY AN EGG |
to do something embarrassing
Compare to: bomb
Whereas bomb is usually applied to creative activities
(e.g., a play, a book, a movie, an idea) that fail on a
grand scale, lay an egg is usually applied to something that
is socially embarrassing on a small scale. |
1. I really laid an egg when I asked that elderly woman how
old she was. I was just curious, but I should have known it
was the wrong thing to do.
2. Everyone stopped talking and looked at the young man in
disbelief when he asked Mr. Thomas about his salary. The
young man had really laid an egg. |
|
LAY DOWN THE LAW |
to set rules and regulations
Synonyms: put (one’s) foot down
Read (someone) the riot act implies more noisy anger against
a past action than lay down the law, which implies stern
instruction governing future behavior. |
1. The boss had noticed that the employees frequently took
more time than they were allowed for lunch and coffee
breaks. The boss knew he had to put a stop to it, so he
called a meeting and laid down the law.
2. The teacher decided that he would no longer tolerate late
homework, coming late to class, or chatting during class.
When the students were all in their seats, he laid down the
law. |
|
LAY (ONE’S) CARDS ON THE TABLE |
to be open and honest; to reveal everything
The expression originates from the idea of a card game in
which one must reveal one’s cards by laying them on the
table. |
1. They didn’t understand what Mr. Palmer’s plan would lead
to or why he was trying to involve them, so finally they
asked him to lay his cards on the table.
2. When the boss had been strangely quiet for several weeks,
the workers knew that something must have been going on. One
day she called a meeting and told them that now she could
lay her cards on the table. |
|
LEAD (SOMEONE) AROUND BY THE NOSE |
to dominate someone; to force someone to do something |
1. The department chairman runs the department, and no one
else has any say in how things are done. He leads everyone
by the nose.
2. The students seem to be in control of what’s going on in
the classroom. They lead the teacher around by the nose. |
|
LEARN THE ROPES |
to become familiar with a task or situation
Synonym: learn the ins and outs
Compare to: know the ropes
These expressions are similar, but take place at different
times. Before one knows the ropes, one learns the ropes. |
1. The bank manager told the new trainee to keep his eyes
open and watch what the other tellers did until he learned
the ropes.
2. I’m willing to work long hours and I’ll work for free.
I’m anxious to learn the ropes of this business. |
|
LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED |
to search everywhere
Synonym: beat the bushes
The expression suggests that whatever one is searching for
might be under a stone, and that one will search so
thoroughly as to turn over every stone looking for it. |
1. The boss called the employees together for a meeting. He
said he didn’t know who was stealing from the company, but
that he would leave no stone unturned until he found out who
it was.
2. The police looked everywhere for the prisoner who had
escaped. They left no stone unturned, but they were unable
to find him. |
|
LEAVE (SOMEONE) [GET LEFT IN] THE LURCH |
to abandon someone to a difficult situation, forcing him or
her to take all the responsibility
Synonym: leave (someone) high and dry |
1. The builder hired several carpenters and electricians to
work on the building, but he left them in the lurch when it
came time to pay them.
2. The company went bankrupt and the stockholders got left
in the lurch. They had to pay all the outstanding bills.
3. Where were you at four o’clock? I thought you were going
to attend the meeting and help us with the difficult
decisions that needed to be made. You shouldn’t have left us
in the lurch like that. |
|
LEAVE (SOMEONE)/GET LEFT OUT IN THE COLD |
to shun someone; to exclude someone from a place or activity
The expression suggests that when a person is excluded from
the group or mainstream, he or she is outside, where it is
cold. |
1. Mary seemed not to care for anyone else’s feelings, and
managed to offend just about everyone. Eventually she got
left out in the cold and no one included her in their plans
or parties.
2. I don’t know what I did wrong, but I’d like to make up
for it. Please don’t leave me out in the cold. |
|
LEAVE (SOMEONE) HIGH AND DRY |
abandoned or stranded; helpless
Synonyms: leave (someone) in the lurch
Similar to: leave (someone) holding the bag
The expression probably originates from the idea of a ship
stranded on high ground, leaving it out of water (dry). |
1. Bob got a ride to the party with his friends, but they
left without him and he had no way to get home. They left
him high and dry.
2. When you buy a package vacation trip through a travel
agency, be sure that it is a company that has a good
reputation. Too many companies have gone out of business,
leaving those who have already paid their money high and
dry. |
|
LEAVE (SOMEONE) HOLDING THE BAG |
to leave somebody with unwanted responsibility |
1. If I invest my money with you and things go badly, I want
to make sure you’re going to take responsibility. I don’t
want you to leave me holding the bag.
2. Laura took a risk and it failed, and she was left holding
the bag. Similar to: leave (someone) in the lurch, leave
(someone) high and dry. |
|
LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE |
to accept a situation as it is; to avoid trying to improve a
situation one’s actions might make it worse
Synonym: let sleeping dogs lie |
1. Her work isn’t perfect, but your criticism might just
make the situation worse. I recommend that you leave well
enough alone.
2. I’m a perfectionist, so I can never leave well enough
alone. Sometimes that is okay, but sometimes it causes me
nothing but trouble. |
|
LEND/GIVE (SOMEONE) AN/(ONE’S) EAR |
to listen to someone
Dating from at least the 1600s, this phrase has consistently
meant to listen to or ask someone to listen. It became
especially popular after William Shakespeare’s play Julius
Caesar, in which Mark Antony says to a noisy crowd,
‘Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears’ in order to
get them to quiet down and listen. |
1. The boss walked into the coffee room where we were
chatting and asked us to lend him an ear. He wanted us to
listen to what he had to say.
2. All the children pulled on the teacher’s skirt, begging
to hear the news. She finally told them that if they gave
her an ear, she would tell them what they wanted to hear. |
|
let it slide |
|
|
|
LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE |
to not look for trouble or stir up a troublesome situation
Synonym: leave well enough alone
The expression is from a proverb dating back to the 13th
century and suggests the threat of attack to one who
frightens a dog by suddenly waking it from its sleep. |
1. The situation seems to have resolved itself, and I’m not
going to bring it up again. I’m going to let sleeping dogs
lie.
2. The politician resigned his office before his colleagues
could bring charges of misconduct against him. After that,
they let sleeping dogs lie and didn’t pursue the matter. |
|
LETTER PERFECT |
exactly right
The expression is used only in reference to writing or
speech. |
1. The boss was always happy with Meg’s typing because it
was letter perfect.
2. The actor practiced his lines over and over so that he
wouldn’t make any mistakes on stage. He wanted to get his
lines letter perfect. |
|
LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG |
to reveal a secret
Synonym: spill the beans
Antonym: keep (something) under (one’s) hat
Centuries ago, merchants would sell piglets in bags. If a
dishonest merchant placed a cat in the bag instead of the
more costly and valuable piglet, the buyer might not know
until they opened the bag and let the cat out. |
1. When Rachel decided she was going to quit her job, she
told her best friend but she didn’t want to let the cat out
of the bag. Rachel told her friend not to tell anyone.
2. The children put their money together to buy their mother
a birthday present, but the youngest child became excited
and couldn’t keep from telling his mother what they had
bought. His brothers and sisters told him he shouldn’t have
let the cat out of the bag. |
|
let the dust settle |
|
|
|
LIFE OF RILEY |
the good life; a comfortable life
Similar to: lap of luxury
The lap of luxury means a very comfortable life because one
is rich, whereas the life of Riley is an easy-going life
because one doesn’t have to work or isn’t working. Someone
who is poor can lead the life of Riley if he or she doesn’t
mind being poor. The expression the life of Riley seems to
originate from a song that was popular in the 1880s. It was
a comic song called “Is That Mr. Reilly?” written by Pat
Rooney, and it described what Mr. Reilly would do if he
suddenly became rich. |
1. When Henry retires, he plans to live the life of Riley.
He won’t have to work and he’ll be able to putter around the
garden every day.
2. Mrs. Hartley lived the life of Riley until her husband
died and she had to take on two jobs to support herself. |
|
LIKE WATER OFF A DUCK’S BACK |
having no effect on someone
Similar to: roll with the punches; take (something) in
stride
The expression suggests that something has no effect in the
same way that water rolls off a duck’s back, not penetrating
the bird’s feathers. |
1. Patricia never takes criticism personally. She accepts it
and doesn’t feel hurt—it’s like water off a duck’s back.
2. When I told my husband that the storm had ripped off a
large part of our roof, the news was like water off a duck’s
back. He said, “It could have been worse.” |
|
LION’S SHARE, THE |
the greater part; most
The expression suggests that the amount of food that a lion
would take for itself would be the greatest portion. |
1. The children ate the lion’s share of the ice cream. They
left only a few spoonfuls for their parents.
2. The son inherited the lion’s share of his father’s estate
when the old man died. The other relatives in the family got
practically nothing. |
|
LIVE AND LET LIVE |
to live without interference from other; to not interfere
with the lives of others. |
1. They were very good neighbors because they never
complained or worried about how other people looked after
their houses. Their attitude was live and let live.
2. Don’t tell me how to run my life and I won’t tell you how
to run yours. Let’s live and let live |
|
living under a rock |
|
|
|
LOCK, STOCK, AND BARREL |
everything; the entirety
Synonym: whole kit and caboodle
Compare to: go whole hog; hook, line, and sinker; whole nine
yards |
1. When the farmer moved away, he sold his land, his
farmhouse, his livestock and all his equipment. He sold
everything lock, stock, and barrel.
2. The shop owner arrived at his shop one morning to find
that thieves had stolen all his merchandise. They had
cleaned him out lock, stock, and barrel. |
|
LONG AND SHORT OF IT, THE |
the outcome; the point
Compare to: bottom line; nitty gritty; make a long story
short |
1. I don’t have a lot of time, so please don’t go into all
the details of the story. What’s the long and short of it?
2. The assistant manager told the boss that he felt
unappreciated and underpaid, that nobody respected him, and
that nobody listened to his ideas. Finally he said, “The
long and short of it is that I’m going to find another job.” |
|
LONG SHOT |
an attempt at something that has only a small chance of
being successful |
1. The newspaper reporter didn’t know where the actor was
staying. It was a long shot, but he guessed that it would be
a hotel near the movie studio. He found the actor at the
second hotel he called.
2. When they found a house that they really wanted to buy,
they called the owners, but found out that they were not
interested in selling. It had been a long shot, so they
weren’t too disappointed. |
|
LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH, NOT |
to find fault with a gift or to refuse a gift, usually
because one is suspicious of the giver’s motives
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth is often used to tell
someone that he is being overly suspicious of the giver’s
motives or overly critical of the gift.
The expression originates from the practice of checking the
age of a horse by inspecting its teeth. If a person received
a horse as a gift and then checked its teeth to see how old
it was, this would be seen by the giver as greedy and
ungrateful. |
1. You are too suspicious of Greg’s motives. If I were you,
I would accept his gift graciously. Don’t look a gift horse
in the mouth.
2. Johanna said that she appreciated their thoughtfulness in
giving her a new car, and that she didn’t want to look a
gift horse in the mouth, but she really would prefer a model
with a few more extra features like air-conditioning and a
CD player. |
|
LOOK DOWN (ONE’S) NOSE AT (SOMEONE/ SOMETHING) |
to be snobbish about someone or something
The expression suggests that one person is on a higher
(social) level and must look down his nose in order to see
the person or thing on the lower level. |
1. The well-off people in this city look down their noses at
taking public transportation. They only take taxis.
2. The girl’s parents would not let her marry the young man
because he was from a lower social class. They looked down
their noses at him. |
|
LOOK/FEEL LIKE DEATH WARMED OVER |
to look/feel ill or exhausted
The expression suggests how a person would look or feel if
he or she were warmed up after dying, i.e., still dead. |
1. Sue looked like death warmed over when we went to see her
in the hospital after her surgery.
2. I stayed up for three nights straight studying for my
philosophy exam and now I feel like death warmed over. |
|
LOOK LIKE THE CAT THAT SWALLOWED THE CANARY |
to have a knowing and self-satisfied smile on one’s face; to
be pleased with oneself, often because one has done
something which one knows was wrong but which was very
enjoyable
Canaries are songbirds that people keep as pets in cages. A
cat that had swallowed a canary would be pleased with itself
but also know that it would be in trouble when the master of
the house came home and discovered what had happened. |
1. The clever businessman had just completed a very
profitable deal for a very good price, and he was very
pleased with himself. He looked like the cat that swallowed
the canary.
2. When the teacher came into the classroom, the students
sat there looking like cats that swallowed the canaries. The
teacher knew the students must be planning something
mischievous. |
|
LOOK SHARP |
to have a neat and orderly appearance (sentence 1) or to
have a stylish appearance (sentence 2) |
1. The army drill sergeant shouted at his troops to stand
straight, pull in their stomachs, put their heads up and
pull their shoulders back. Then he yelled, “Look sharp.”
2. The boss used to be a pretty sloppy dresser, but now he
wore stylish slacks, silk ties, nice shoes, and top- quality
jackets. He really looked sharp. |
|
LOSE (ONE’S) COOL |
to become angry
Synonym: lose (one’s) temper Antonym: keep one’s cool |
1. When another soccer player tripped Mary and the referee
didn’t notice, Mary lost her cool and shoved the other girl
back.
2. I know you think Tom stole your idea, but you can’t lose
your temper in this meeting. Don’t lose your cool. |
|
LOSE/HOLD (ONE’S) TEMPER |
to become suddenly angry. To hold one’s temper means to
remain calm when irritated.
Synonym: lose/keep (one’s) cool
Compare to: blow (one’s) stack; fly off the handle; see red;
hot under the collar |
1. The children’s mother was tired of asking them to pick up
their toys. Finally, she lost her temper and yelled at them.
2. Joel was a calm and quiet person who never became visibly
angry. Even when pushed, he was always able to hold his
temper. |
| lose weight |
become
thinner |
I really
need to lose weight this year. |
|
low hanging fruit |
|
|
|
LOW MAN ON THE TOTEM POLE |
the person of lowest rank
The expression originates from the totem poles of some
tribes of Native Americans. They were wooden statues made of
tree trunks, which consisted of several carved heads, one on
top of the other. The expression is usually used to describe
the hierarchy in a business, club or office rather than a
social or family setting. Even when the expression refers to
a female, the expression is still low man on the totem pole. |
1. Sheila eventually wanted to become a manager, but since
she had just joined the company, she would have to be low
man on the totem pole for now.
2. Chris was happy when he finally got a promotion in the
company. He was no longer low man on the totem pole. |
|
luck of the draw |
|
|
| luck out |
are
fortunate |
If you
luck out in Las Vegas, you can make a lot
of money. |
|
LUCKY DOG/STIFF |
a lucky person
This slang expression is used between friendly equals. |
1. They got to the airport late and, because there were no
more economy seats left, they got to sit in first class for
no extra charge. They sure were lucky dogs.
2. Carl has relatives who own a car dealership, so he always
gets a good deal when he buys a new car. He’s a lucky stiff. |
