American Idioms

Idiom of the day :- To save his/her life

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

At all/ completely. ex. “She can’t sing to save her life.” 

Idiom of the day :- Go like a house on fire

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Mr. Bell’s gas heater wouldn’t work. He thought he would repair it himself. That proved to be a terrible mistake and he had to go like a house on fire to the nearby fire department for help. When a person goes like a house on fire he moves very, very quickly.

Idiom of the day :- Ahead of one’s time

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

The way Ray dresses confuses his father. He wears strange clothes and has an even stranger haircut. ‘Why do you dress like that ?’ his father asked. ‘Because, dad, I’m ahead of my time,’ Ray replied. to be ahead of one’s time is to be very modern, very advanced. ‘Is there such a thing as being too far ahead of one’s time ?’ his father asked.

Idiom of the day :- close to the bone

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

it is close to the truth in a way that might offend some people. Of course it upset Mei Ling to hear what Lian had to say about Meng. Don’t you see it was a little close to the bone ?

Idiom of the day :- Scratch Someone’s Back

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Hey, Bea. I need some help stacking these boxes. Would you please give me a hand? OK. And I need some help tidying up the house. How about your helping me out after that ? OK. If you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. I know you don’t like doing housework, but I’ll help you with the boxes if you promise to return the favor. No problem. I’ll even do the windows.

Idiom of the day :- Nurse a grudge

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

A grudge is a feeling of ill will or resentment. A person who refuses to stop thinking about something — or someone — that has caused him or her unhappiness or pain is said to nurse a grudge. ‘Mr. Grundy is furious. He’ll nurse a grudge against the person who caused him his injuries for years to come.’

Idiom of the day :- For a song

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Felix saw a pretty bird in a pet shop window. ‘How much is that bird ?’ he asked the man in the shop. ‘That would normally cost a lot of money, but you may have it for a song.’ the man replied. You may think that Felix had to sing a song to get the bird, but that’s not true. The idiom for a song simply means for very little money. ‘I bought my bird for a song,’ Felix said later.

Idiom of the day :- drown one’s sorrows / (To) drown one’s sorrows

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

To get/ become drunk. ex. “Drowning your sorrows won’t solve anything.” 

Idiom of the day :- Time hangs heavy on one’s hands

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

‘I’m bored,’ Simon said. ‘It’s raining outside and there’s nothing to watch on television. Time hangs heavy on my hands. ‘ Simon is saying time is moving slowly because he has nothing to do. ‘Time wouldn’t lie heavy on your hands if you helped me clean the house,’ Simon’s wife smiled.

Idiom of the day :- Like a fish out of water

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

A person said to be like a fish out of water is in a strange situation or environment and therefore feels uncertain what to do or how to conduct himself/herself. ‘I went to Martha’s party but I was like a fish out of water for I didn’t know anyone there,’ Iris said. ‘When I first got to Canada I knew very little English so I often felt like a fish out of water,’ Peter said. ‘But now that I’ve learned the language, I no longer feel that way,’ he added.