American Idioms

Idiom of the day :- Down in the dumps

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Sad. Depressed. 

Idiom of the day :- Pressed for time

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

In a hurry. ex. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I’m a little pressed for time.”

Idiom of the day :- Big-shot (noun/adjective)

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

An important person. ex. “All the big-shots at headquarters never listen to what we have to say.”; “A big-shot reporter.” 

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

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

To save money by doing things poorly or wrong. ex. “If you cut corners, you’ll end up with low-quality products which no one will want to buy.” 

Idiom of the day :- fine line / (A) fine line

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Not much difference. ex. “Sometimes there’s a fine line between love and infatuation.” 

Idiom of the day :- A holy terror (2)

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

New visitors to the dining room have found that Cavendish can be very demanding. ‘He insists that we conduct ourselves like proper ladies and gentleman,’ Jaime frowned. ‘He can be a holy terror at times.’ In this case a holy terror is someone — a boss or someone in a position of authority — who causes fear in people.

Idiom of the day :- Give a good/bad account of oneself

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

To win a promotion, Ken has to give a good account of himself. That is, he mustwin approval by showing that he has done well. If he gives a poor account of himself he’s likely to be demoted. ‘I once helped an old lady to cross the street,’ Ken said, hoping to give a good account of himself.

Idiom of the day :- Catch-22

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

This expression comes from the title of a book. Situations referred to as catch-22 are unreasonable and unfair in which a person has no chance of winning or succeeding. ‘If I study medicine, I’ll be unhappy. If I study art, my parents will be unhappy. I’m in a catch-22 situation.’

Idiom of the day :- Shoot Off One’s Mouth

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Jim doesn’t play tennis very much, but he’s always shooting off his mouth about how good he is. Yet he’s fooling nobody. Jim is somewhat of a braggart and everyone knows that he gives opinions without knowing all the facts and talks as if he knew everything about the game.

Idiom of the day :- Full Monty

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

This idiom can mean either, “the whole thing” or “completely nude”.