American Idioms

Idiom of the day :- The Whole Nine Yards

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Everything. All of it.

Idiom of the day :- drop the ball / (To) drop the ball

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

To make a mistake. (WARNING: This idiom is overused in the business world). ex. “So it was John’s fault? Yes, John really dropped the ball on this one.” 

Idiom of the day :- give someone the benefit of the doubt / (To) give someone the benefit of the doubt

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

To believe in someone despite information that makes them seem guilty of something. ex. “Hey, don’t believe the rumors. Give him the benefit of the doubt.” 

Idiom of the day :- Preachy (adj)

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

An adjective that describes someone (or something) that tries to preach how one should live, etc. ex. “A preachy movie” 

Idiom of the day :- sit on one’s hands / (To) sit on one’s hands

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

To do nothing. ex. “Everyone expected the board to take action, but they just sat on their hands.” 

Idiom of the day :- Tongue-in-cheek

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

humor, not to be taken serious.

Idiom of the day :- cover a lot of ground / (To) cover a lot of ground

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

To go through a lot of information. ex. “We’ve covered a lot of ground in my English class in the past two months.” 

Idiom of the day :- Brain drain

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

A / the brain drain is defined as movement of ‘brains ( eg., teachers, scientists and other skilled people ) out of one country to another where conditions and salaries are better. ‘If we hope to prevent a brain drain we’re going to have to make nursing a more rewarding profession,’ a health officer declared.

Idiom of the day :- Out of the Woods

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Although Eric was well on his way to recovering from his bout with pneumonia, he was still not out of the woods. The doctors told him that he would have to take it easy and avoid exposure to cold, since he was not out of danger and difficulty yet.

Idiom of the day :- Rank and file

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Are you a leader in a club or an organization ? If not, you could say that you belong to the rank and file. The rank and file refers to the ordinary people within a group, a club, or an organization. ‘The general is very busy today. He’s out inspecting the rank and file.’