American Idioms

Idiom of the day :- Cliffhanger

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

A dramatic or frightening moment when one does not know what will happen next A : The captain announced the ship had hit something and was sinking. There was only one hour to get all the passengers and crew into the lifeboats. No one was sure if it could be done — it was a real cliffhanger. B : How terrifying. Who could have expected such a disaster ? A : Well I must admit I was a little suspicious when I first boarded the ship and found it was called The Titanic. The American actress Pearl White starred in a TV series called ‘The Perils of Pauline’. Each episode would end with Pauline in a dangerous situation so that the audience would want to watch the next one to see what happened. In one episode Pauline was hanging on the edge of a cliff and this inspired the expression. Cliffhangers and cliffhanger endings are still used in TV drama series today. the expression can also describe situations in real life which are dramatic and uncertain.

Idiom of the day :- Clear one’s name

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

‘You will remain after school and clear my name by writing the following statement 100 times: ‘I am sorry I said naughty and untrue things about my teacher’,’ Professor Oxford frowned. To clean one’s name is to prove someone is innocent of a crime or misdeed of which he’s been accused.

Idiom of the day :- pitch in / (To) pitch in

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

To help with something (especially financially). ex. “Let’s all pitch in and buy him a nice present.” 

Idiom of the day :- Washed-up

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

No longer important/ in good form. ex. “Why do you hang out with that washed-up actor?” 

Idiom of the day :- Dot the i’s and cross the t’s

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

We see in this illustration a perfect example of someone who did not dot the i’s and cross the t’s. This means to be careful, thorough, and to pay close attention to details. ‘Charles ! You placed the letters backwards in this idiom ! You must be careful to dot the i’s and cross the t’s when you draw your illustrations.’

Idiom of the day :- The apple of one’s eye

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

If you say that someone is the apple of your eye, you mean that they are very important to you and you are extremely fond of them

Idiom of the day :- Chip on his Shoulder

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Angry today about something that occured in the past.

Idiom of the day :- Play possum

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

The possum ( or oppossum ) is a small animal that pretends to be dead when it is threatened. People play possum when they hide from unpleasant things or avoid responsibilities by pretending they know nothing about them, ‘ We can’t play possum and hope our problems will disappear,’ the sales manager warned.

Idiom of the day :- All eyes

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

If I appeared before you with a package and, saying it was a gift for you, began slowly to unwrap it, I think you would be all eyes. To be all eyes is to be totally engrossed in looking at something. ‘Mr. Winkle was all eyes as he walked the streets on his first visit to Vancouver.’

Idiom of the day :- sleep on something / (To) sleep on something

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

To think about something overnight. ex. “I’m not sure if I want to buy this car. I think I should sleep on it.”