American Idioms

Idiom of the day :- Give someone the green light

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

If someone in authority gives a green light to something, they give permission for it to happen or be done.

Idiom of the day :- The apple of one’s eye

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

If you say that someone is the apple of your eye, you mean that they are very important to you and you are extremely fond of them Penny’s only son was the apple of her eye.

Idiom of the day :- let off steam / (To) let off steam

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

To release energy or anger. ex. “P1: Victor went drinking, and got into a fight. P2: That’s OK, he’s just letting off a little steam.” 

Idiom of the day :- Have a memory like a sieve

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

A sieve is a utensil with many fine holes. A person accused of having a memory like a sieve is either unable to retain information or is very forgetful. ‘I’ll never learn French; I have a memory like a sieve.’ ‘I have a head like a sieve today. I’ve forgotten where I parked my car.’

Idiom of the day :- Humdrum

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Boring / ordinary / repetitive A : Betty Boring leads a really humdrum life. She spends twelve hours a day at the factory, putting chocolates into boxes. At the weekends she stays at home and watches television all day. B : That sounds very depressing. Why does she look so happy all the time ? A : Betty says it’s because she’s a humdrum person. The origin of this word is a mystery but it is thought to have a connection with hum which can describe a continuous unchanging sound and therefore imply that something is monotonous or uninteresting.

Idiom of the day :- drop in the bucket/ocean / (A) drop in the bucket/ocean

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

An insignificant event. ex. “His donation was appreciated, but it was just a drop in the bucket of what was needed.” 

Idiom of the day :- Do a hatchet job

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

A hatchet is a short-handled ax. To do or perform a hatchet job is (1) to say or write terrible things about someone or something; or (2) to remove great sections of a plan or story. ‘The critics did a hatchet job on Bob’s new book ( Criticizing ) ‘Saying it was too long, the editor performed a hatchet job on Sam’s newspaper article.’ (Removing )

Idiom of the day :- Drop a line

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Here’s a riddle: when does drop mean ‘to write’ and a line mean ‘a letter’? Answer : when it is used in the expression drop a line. ‘Dear Liz,’ the letter began. ‘I thought I would sit down and drop you a line. Now that I have, when are you going to drop me a line ?’

Idiom of the day :- Miles away (1)

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

If a person answers a question incorrectly — and if his or her answer is very, very wrong — it can de described as being miles away. That is, the answer is nowhere near being correct. ‘No, no, no ! That’s not the answer to this. Your answer is miles away,’ Izzy frowned.

Idiom of the day :- Save one’s breath

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

‘It’s too hot to work today,’ Eddie said. ‘Why don’t we ask the boss if we can have the afternoon off ?’ ‘Save your breath,’ his co-workers advised. Eddie asked the boss anyway, and she said the same thing. To save one’s breath means to say nothing, usually because one’s words have no value or will have no effect.