American Idioms

Idiom of the day :- lift / (A) lift

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

A ride. ex. “She gave me a lift to the airport.” 

Idiom of the day :- Buzz word

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

A buzz word is a word that looks or sounds big and important in a sentence but, when analyzed, means nothing. Those who use buzz words are generally trying to impress people. ‘The politician’s speech was nothing but a lot of false promises concealed in a series of buzz words.’

Idiom of the day :- High-flyer

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

An exceptionally talented professional person who receives rapid promotion A : Jamie is a high-flyer who works in an advertising company. Last week he announced that he was going to give it all up and become a farmer. B : I suppose he realized there are more important things than money. When is he leaving the company ? A : He’s not. His boss was so worried about losing him that he gave him a $30,000 pay rise and Jamie has decided to stay. This expression always refers to people who have exceptional ability in a particular field and therefore rise very quickly through an organization.

Idiom of the day :- Feel under the weather

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Poor Mr. Lee. He says he’s feeling under the weather. I hope it’s nothing serious for to feel under the weather is to feel unwell. Literally, it means to be affected by changes in the weather. ‘I’m feeling a little under the weather today but I’m sure I’ll feel better tomorrow,’ Mr. Lee sighed.

Idiom of the day :- In and out

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Coming in and going out often. ex. “She’s been in and out all day.” 

Idiom of the day :- Coffin nail

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Since about 1890 people have recognized that cigarette smoking does indeed damage one’s health for even then they said that each cigarette a person smoked drove another nail in his coffin. That led to a cigarette being called ( in slang ) a coffin nail. ‘I stopped smoking,’ Hank said. ‘I haven’t had a coffin nail in three months.’

Idiom of the day :- Get wind of

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

To get wind of something is to receive news or information indirectly. It’s usually information that’s meant to be a secret. ‘I just got wind of the news that Shirley is moving to Canada.’ ‘I wonder how Wenger got wind of the fact that I baked cakes today ?’ Orion asked.

Idiom of the day :- To be on the safe side

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Those who take extra precautions to reduce or eliminate the possibility of a mistake, an error or even danger are taking measures to be on the safe side. ‘To be on the safe side Felix always makes certain his valuables are kept in a secure place.’

Idiom of the day :- Show someone the door

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

‘Edna is such a terrible secretary I have decided to show her the door,’ Mr. Wilkin said. Idiomatically, to show someone the door is to tell him or her to leave a place. ‘I don’t know why but the boss got angry and showed me the door today,’ Edna said as she put away her knitting and went home.

Idiom of the day :- Fish in troubled waters

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

To fish in troubled waters is to take advantage of a troubled or confused situation to seek personal gains or rewards. ‘The recent storms have caused confusion and flooding in parts of the city,’ Fergus said. ‘That has given me a perfect opportunity to try my luck fishing in muddy waters,’ he grinned.