American Idioms

Idiom of the day :- mind one’s own business / (To) mind one’s own business

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Not to interfere/ get involved in the business of others. ex. “Sometimes, it’s best to mind your own business.” 

Idiom of the day :- cut class / (To) cut class

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

To not go to class. To skip going to class. ex. “Jacob was a very bad student. He was always cutting class to go smoke with his buddies.” 

Idiom of the day :- Up for grabs

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Available for anyone to try to get. ex. “The Swedish telecom market is still up for grabs.” 

Idiom of the day :- jam on the brakes / (To) jam on the brakes

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

To hit/ step on the brakes suddenly to stop the car. *This phrases is a little antiquated. It’s best to use “to hit the breaks” instead.* 

Idiom of the day :- See reason

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

‘Why must I go to school ?’ Mary asked. ‘Because in today’s world one can’t succeed without an education,’ her father replied. ‘Surely you can see reason and understand that.’ Mary nodded yes, for to see reason is to think or act sensibly, particularly after learning the facts or accepting advice about something.

Idiom of the day :- Catch someone on the hop

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Catch someone unprepared/ surprise someone A : Debble had a baby a week after marrying Derek Dim. Derek didn’t even know his wife was pregnant. B : Yes, the baby caught him on the hop — he thought Debble was just very fat. The hop is a flower which is used in the brewing of beer and is traditionally grown in the county of Kent in south-east England. Just after the second World War, hop-picking was a popular holiday for working-class Londoners as it was often the only chance they had to enjoy the countryside. It was a cheap family holiday which lasted the whole summer. Unfortunately, most men worked in jobs which gave only a few days holiday a year, and so they had to invent an excuse in order to go hop-picking. Sometimes the employer discovered the truth and caught a man on the hop, or in other words, caught him picking hops. It is very common to use this expression in the passive. For example, Make sure everything is ready well in advance otherwise you will be caught on the hop.

Idiom of the day :- Worth one’s salt

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Long ago workers were paid wages in salt. In fact, our word salary comes from the Latin word for salt. From that, a person worth his salt is very worthy, either because he has a good character or because he is a competent and valuable worker. ‘You’re sure worth your salt here,’ the boss said to Ryan.

Idiom of the day :- Knit one’s brows

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

As you might have noticed, Mr. Singh is in deep thought. You can tell because he is knitting his brows. Brows are one’s forehead or eyebrows, and to knit one’s browsis to wrinkle them while thinking. ‘I’m knitting my brows trying to solve a problem,’ Mr. Singh said.

Idiom of the day :- make something from scratch / (To) make something from scratch

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

To make something by starting with the basic ingredients. ex. “P1: Did you bake that cake? P2: No, I made it from scratch.” 

Idiom of the day :- wait on someone hand and foot / (To) wait on someone hand and foot

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

To serve someone very well; to do anything someone asks you. ex. “I don’t mind making you coffee, but don’t expect me to wait on you hand and foot!”