American Idioms

Idiom of the day :- Funny Farm

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

A mental institutional facility.

Idiom of the day :- Live out of a suitcase

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

People who do a lot of traveling and stay in various places away from homeoften say they live out of a suitcase. Mr. Howe, for example, is tired of traveling. When I accepted this job I had no idea I’d have to live out of a suitcase six or seven months of the year,’ he complained.

Idiom of the day :- turn a blind eye to something / (To) turn a blind eye to something

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

To ignore something and pretend you did not see it. ex. “The usher turned a blind eye to the boy who snuck into the theater.”

Idiom of the day :- follow in (someone’s) footsteps / (To) follow in (someone’s) footsteps

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

To follow someone’s example and do what that person did/does. ex. “I followed in my brother’s footsteps and also became a teacher.” 

Idiom of the day :- Lead by the nose

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

‘I fully understand that people don’t like being led by the nose,’ Timothy said. ‘ Most mice object to that too,’ he noted. ‘How do you elephants feel about it ?’ I asked. The elephant he was leading didn’t reply. To lead by the nose is to control someone. ‘ And make them do what you want, ‘ Timothy added.

Idiom of the day :- Generous to a fault

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

‘Now just a moment, dear !’ Snod sighed. ‘I married you because you were generous and kind. But really, you’re generous to a fault !’ Snod is saying his wife is overly generous. In fact, if she has a fault it is that she’s too generous. That’s what generous to a fault means.

Idiom of the day :- Kick back

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

I’ll introduce you to the man in charge of the building project if we can agree on akick back,’ Ambrose said. What he means is that he expects to receive a fee or a commission for his service. ‘If the meeting leads to a contract I’ll give you a 15% kick back,’ Ambrose’s friend agreed.

Idiom of the day :- Up and about

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Recovered from an illness. ex. “Hey it’s nice to see you up and about. You must be feeling a lot better.” 

Idiom of the day :- Ill-at-ease (adj.)

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Uncomfortable. ex. “She seemed to be ill-at-ease talking to the doctor about her problems”. 

Idiom of the day :- Headhunt

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Fill a vacancy for a job by directly approaching someone who is already working for another company A : I’m worried about my job. All the people who have held this post before me have been headhunted. B : Why are you worried ? All people who are good at their job are headhunted. A : Yes I know. The problem is that I’ve been working here for five years and not a single headhunter has approached me ! This expression usually refers to the treatment of very highly paid executives, often heads of departments within companies. Someone who looks for candidates for executive jobs is a headhunter.