Idioms: Roof

‘When the final whistle blew, the home fans raised the roof‘. This means they made a lot of noise, cheering and applauding. If, on the other hand, someone hits the roof, they become very angry quite suddenly and start shouting, as in ‘When the manager found out what had happened, he hit the roof‘. The expression go through the roof can be used in a similar way, as in ‘My sister went through the roof when she saw what I’d done to her car’. Go through the roof can also be used to indicate a rapid increase to a very high level, as in ‘Petrol prices have gone through the roof over the last few months’.

A roof over your head means somewhere to live, as in ‘Some people are struggling to keep a roof over their head these days’. If you find yourself under someone’s roof, you are in their house, usually on a relatively long-term basis, as in ‘As long as you are living under my roof, you’ll do as I say’. If you are under the same roof, you are living in the same home as someone else, as in ‘Things got so bad between them that they could no longer bear to live under the same roof‘.

The roof of the world is used to describe the highest mountains in Asia, particularly the Himalayas and the surrounding regions, as in ‘China’s new 1,200-mile railway crosses some of the world’s harshest terrain on its way to the roof of the world‘.

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Idioms: Sailing and the Sea

It is no surprise that the language of an island nation with a rich maritime history should have a number of idioms related to the sea and sailing.

An example of a widely used expression which originated on the sea is to know the ropes or show someone the ropes (to know how to do something or to teach someone to do something, particularly a job), as in ‘It’s a bit difficult at first but you’ll soon get to know the ropes‘.

If you do something at a rate of knots, you do it very quickly, as in ‘He set off at a rate of knots but he soon became tired and slowed down’. If you clear the decks, you do work that you need to do before you can do other things.

By sailing close to the wind, you are taking unnecessary risks and could easily get into trouble, and if you are in the doldrums, you are in a situation in which there is a lack of success, activity or improvement, as in ‘After years in the doldrums, the market is finally picking up’.

If something is described as plain sailing, it is easy to do or achieve, as in ‘The French won the match, but it wasn’t all plain sailing‘.

To give someone or something a wide berth means to avoid them at all costs, as in ‘Dog walkers have been advised to give cattle a wide berth after a woman was seriously injured last week’.

The word sea itself provides us with the idiom all at sea, meaning confused and unsure what to do, as in ‘United were all at sea as they struggled to come to terms with the bumpy pitch’.

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Idioms: Sport

Let’s get the ball rolling (make something start happening). Sport plays such a prominent role in the lives of so many people that it is unsurprising that there are a large number of idioms with a sporting connection. Many involve a central term in the world of sport, the word ball. If you are on the ball, for example, you are well-informed and quick to understand what is happening and what must be done. If, on the other hand, you have several balls in the air, you are trying to do a number of different things at the same time.

If the ball is in your court, it is now your responsibility or turn to take action or make a decision rather than somebody else’s and you will no doubt have to do things off your own bat (do them on your own initiative). In that situation, it is rather unlikely that you will be having a ball (really enjoying yourself) or punching the air (celebrating), although it is by no means impossible. It is more likely that you will find yourself on a sticky wicket (in a difficult or embarrassing situation). Whatever happens, don’t pull any punches (express your opinions or criticism clearly) and don’t score any own goals (do something that accidentally harms you when you intended to harm someone else). The most important thing is to know the score (know the truth about something, especially when it is unpleasant) and remember that when things go wrong it is all part of the game (a normal part of a particular activity).

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Idioms: Sweep

If a team sweeps the board, it wins everything, as in ‘Last year, Durham swept the board, winning all four domestic competitions’. This achievement can also be described as a clean sweep.

If an individual or a political party sweeps to power, they win an election by a very large number of votes, as in ‘After 18 years of Conservative rule, it was no surprise when Labour swept to power in 1997′. Conversely, if a political party is swept from power, it loses an election by a very large number of votes.

To sweep to victory means to easily win a competition or an election, as in ‘City swept to victory with a powerful first-half performance that saw them score four times in the first twenty-five minutes’.

The expression to sweep someone off their feet has two meanings. If a strong wind sweeps you off your feet, it lifts you up in the air, as in ‘The wind was gusting at up to 80 miles an hour and, at one point, a particularly strong gust nearly swept us off our feet‘. It can also mean to have a strong effect on someone so that they quickly become attracted to you in a romantic way, as in ‘Donald was hoping to sweep Helenoff her feet but she just laughed at him when he asked her to dance’.

If you sweep something under the carpet, you try to avoid dealing with a problem by pretending it does not exist, as in ‘The government was accused of sweeping a whole string of sensitive issues under the carpet’.

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Idioms: Money

‘Money talks‘ as the old saying goes, meaning that money brings you power and influence. There are a number of idioms that describe people who have a lot of money or waste a lot of money on things they don’t really need. They spend money like water or throw their money around. They have money to burn and have more money than sense.

For such people, money is no object (they have a lot of money and can buy what they want). Perhaps the money they have is dirty money (money earned through crime) or they may be in the money (suddenly rich through money they have won or been given). Maybe they are in the fortunate position of earning money for old rope (earning money very easily without much work or effort).

If, on the other hand, you do not have much money and someone asks you to buy something expensive, you might say ‘Hold on – I’m not made of money, you know’. If you are a bit short of money (you don’t have enough), you probably want to make sure you get your money’s worth (feel that what you have got is worth the amount you paid for it), as in ‘Get there early to make sure you get your money’s worth‘.

If you are completely sure that something will happen, you can put your money on it, as in ‘She’ll be late. You can put money on it‘. And if you want someone to actually do something to show that they mean what they say instead of just talking about it, say ‘Put your money where your mouth is‘.

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Idioms: Music

If someone says something that you are very pleased to hear, you can say that it is music to your ears, as in ‘Their offer of help was music to my ears‘.

It would be quite a different matter however, should you be required to face the music, as this would mean that you have to accept punishment or criticism for something you have done wrong. If that happens, it’s probably better not to make a song and dance about it (complain a lot about something in an annoying and unnecessary way).

Sometimes it’s difficult to strike the right note (create a particular mood by the way you speak or behave) but, if you do so, you might touch or strike a chord with someone (produce a particular emotion in them), as in ‘Her tale of woe struck a chord with Edward’.

If you change your tune, you change your opinion or attitude, as in ‘Is that your dog? You’ve changed your tune. You always used to hate dogs!’

If you dance to someone’s tune, you do what they tell you to do and, in that situation, it’s that person who calls the tune (is in control), as in ‘At the moment the money markets are not sure who is in charge and who is calling the tune‘.

The expression to the tune of is used to emphasize how large a sum of money is, as in ‘The company is in debt to the tune of £1.2 billion’, and if something goes for a song, it is sold at a very cheap price, as in ‘Video recorders are going for a song these days’.

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Idioms: Nail

If you fight tooth and nail over something, you fight or argue with great energy and determination, as in ‘Ministers have been fighting tooth and nail over the issue of budget cuts’.

A person who is described as being as hard as nails is very tough and is not usual affected by emotions such as sadness or sympathy, as in ‘You’d have to be as hard as nails not to shed a tear at the end of this movie’.

A nail in the coffin is one of a series of events or actions that seriously harm someone or something, as in ‘The closure of the factory is another nail in the coffin for industry in this area’.

If you hit the nail on the head, you say something that is exactly right or very true, as in ‘Peter hit the nail on the head when he said that what this company lacks is ambition’.

If you nail your colours to the mast, you say clearly and publicly who you support or what you think about something, as in ‘In backing the spending cuts, the prime minister has nailed his colours firmly to the mast‘.

If you nail a rumour or a lie, you show that it is not true, as in ‘I think it’s time to nail these rumours about a secret deal once and for all’.

A nail-biting situation is one that makes you very worried, as in ‘When we were leading 3-0 at half-time, we didn’t expect such a nail-biting end to the match’. The match in question could also be described as a nail-biter, e.g. ‘It was a real nail-biter‘.

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Idioms: Popping your clogs

Euphemisms are a rich source of idioms as people try desperately to avoid calling a spade a spade or, worse still, causing offence. One of the great taboo subjects in Western culture is, of course, death, and various linguistic strategies are used to get around actually saying that someone has died. One of the most common is to say that someone is ‘no longer with us’, as in ‘I’m sorry to say Uncle Peter is no longer with us’. This can, of course, lead to misunderstandings; in a business context it can mean that he no longer works for us, and it may also prompt the inappropriate (and potentially insensitive) response ‘Why? Where is he?’ It may be better to say that poor Uncle Peter has ‘passed away’ or ‘passed on’ or ‘gone to a better place’.

More colloquial non-euphemistic ways of saying die include kick the bucket (‘You’ll kick the bucket before long if you don’t stop smoking’), pop your clogs (‘When I pop my clogs you’ll get all my money’) and snuff it(‘If I snuff it before you do, remember to put flowers on my grave, won’t you’).

Back in the world of euphemisms, you can break the news to a child that his/her favourite dog has died by saying ‘Blackie’s gone to the great kennel in the sky’. Depending on the previous interests of the dead person (or animal) concerned, the word kennel can be substituted by an almost limitless list of other locations (e.g. stadium, theatre, classroom, library or even pub).

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Idioms: Hell

In a recent series of incidents in the UK, a 75 year-old woman described how teenage vandals had made her life a living hell (a nightmare). She said that she had been to hell and back (suffered a lot) as a result of their actions and that her street had become hell on earth (extremely unpleasant and dangerous). She described one family as the neighbours from hell (extremely unpleasant people) and said that some of the vandals broke windows and damaged cars just for the hell of it (for fun and no other reason).

Another resident added that some families in the street had already got the hell out of there (left as quickly as possible), while another remarked cynically that there wasn’t a cat in hell’s chance (there was absolutely no chance at all) that the police would deal adequately with the perpetrators and that hell would freeze over before any serious action was taken.

He said the vandals raised hell (caused trouble) on a daily basis and described a recent incident where all hell broke loose (everyone started fighting and arguing). He added that some residents were so fed up that they had decided to fight back and give the vandals hell (punish them severely). There would be hell to pay(they would be in a lot of trouble) if they showed their faces in the street again and if there was any repetition of the vandalism. He said they were determined to rid the street of the problem come hell or high water (despite all the problems or difficulties that might arise).

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Idioms: Knife

‘After a relatively poor performance at the Olympics by the swimming team, the knives are out for the head coach’, meaning that he is being subjected to hostile criticism, the aim of which is to remove him from his position.

In several of the Olympic cycling race finals, the result was on a knife edge until the very last moment, meaning that the chances of success or failure were more or less equal for both riders and the final result was extremely uncertain.

If you put the knife in, you criticize someone very strongly, as in ‘He has made a number of serious errors of judgement over the past few weeks and several of his colleagues are planning to put the knife in in the coming days’.

If you then twist the knife, you make a bad situation even worse, as in ‘First they removed him from his position of responsibility and then they twisted the knife by offering him a cut in salary’.

When a particular situation is very tense or embarrassing for the people involved, you can cut the atmosphere with a knife, as in ‘Relations between the two ex-business partners had been deteriorating for months and when she walked into the room you could cut the atmosphere with a knife‘.

Like a knife through butter means to move or spread very quickly or easily, as in ‘The virus is particularly dangerous and at certain times of the year can spread like a knife through butter‘.

Finally, if you are unfortunate enough to require a surgical operation, you will have to go under the knife, as in ‘Bartlett is going under the knife tomorrow in an attempt to rid him of a persistent knee problem’.

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Idioms: Light

At the beginning of 2012, there seems no end to the financial problems besetting many of the world’s major economies but some economists are now saying they can see light at the end of the tunnel or light on the horizon, meaning there will be an improvement but it is still some way off. Perhaps if economists saw things in a different light (in a different way), in a more positive or favourable light and not always in a negative light, things might take a turn for the better.

The expression in the light of means ‘as a result of a particular fact’, as in ‘In the light of new forensic evidence, police have decided to re-open the case’, and if facts are brought to light or come to light, people find out about them, as in ‘New evidence in this case has recently come to light‘.

If you see the light, you either suddenly realize, understand or appreciate something, as in ‘I used to hate camping but now I’ve seen the light‘ or you suddenly start to have strong religious beliefs, as in ‘Peter has seen the light‘.

If something such as an idea or a plan sees the light of day, it comes into existence, as in ‘The project first saw the light of day back in 1998′.

If, when referring to someone, you say that the lights are on but there’s no-one at home, you either mean that they are stupid or that they are not listening.

Finally, if you see something in the cold light of day, you think about it calmly and clearly without the emotion that was present when it happened.

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Idioms: Mark

‘Years of conflict have left their mark on Mogadishu’. If you leave your mark on something, you have a very strong and noticeable effect, usually a bad effect that lasts a long time. If you make your mark, you change it or do something significant so that people notice and remember you, as in ‘He’s only been with the company for two weeks but he’s already made his mark‘.

You can either be quick off the mark or slow off the mark, meaning either that you react quickly and gain an advantage or that you react slowly and lose an advantage, as in ‘Companies need to be quick off the mark to gain a foothold in this market’.

If your performance is not up to the mark, it is not good enough, as in ‘Health authorities have complained that many newly-trained nurses are simply not up to the mark‘.

A guess, estimate or theory that is wide of the mark is incorrect, as in ‘The organizers’ claim that there were 25,000 people at the rally turned out to be wide of the mark‘. Estimates that are close to the mark or near to the mark are almost correct.

If you overstep the mark, you do or say something that breaks a rule and makes people angry, as in ‘The interviewer overstepped the mark when he started asking questions about her private life’.

If you step up to the mark, you do what is rightly expected of you, as in ‘It’s high time retailers stepped up to the mark and paid farmers a realistic price for their milk’.

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Idioms: Family

The death was announced recently of the former president of Sony, Norio Ohga, who was credited with developing the compact disc and was known as ‘the father of the CD’. If you are the father of something, you are the person who started something or first did it successfully, as in ‘He is often seen as the father of British television comedy’. 

Used in a similar way, the expression the mother of is not normally used with people but rather with institutions to denote the first institution of its type, as in ‘The British parliament is sometimes known as the mother of all parliaments’. Unfortunately, although the expression is commonly used, it does not coincide with the facts as the Icelandic parliament is a much older institution. Usually in American English, the word granddaddy(with two double d‘s in American spelling) can be used in a similar way to denote the oldest or most famous example of something, as in ‘The Dow Jones, the granddaddy of Wall Street indexes’.

The expression the mother of can also be used to emphasise that something is very big, serious or exciting, as in ‘That was a mother of a storm!’ or ‘The mother of all battles took place here in 1683′.

If someone is described as ‘like a brother to me’, it means that a person is such a good friend that they are almost a family member. Again in American English, the word brother can be used as an interjection to show that you are surprised or annoyed, as in ‘Oh brother, what a mess!’

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Study a TEFL course with TEFL Zorritos in Peru, South America and travel the world, live abroad and enrich people’s lives by teaching them English. A TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Certificate is an internationally accredited and accepted qualification to teach English to people from non-English speaking countries. More questions? Head to our What is TEFL? page

Idioms: Food

As food plays such a central role in human existence it is not surprising that there are a large number of idioms and expressions based on items of food. The word food itself provides us with the expression food for thought, meaning something that makes you think a lot about a particular subject, as in ‘Thanks for your comments – they have given us plenty of food for thought‘.

Most people dream of finding a plum job (a very well-paid job) and might be accused of sour grapes(criticism of something because you are annoyed that you cannot have it) when they don’t get it. Even if a particular job is not your cup of tea (not something you enjoy), at least it will enable you to bring home the bacon (earn money to support your family) but you should always be careful not to put all your eggs in one basket (depend on only one thing) because if you do, you might end up with egg on your face(embarrassed because something you did has gone wrong).

You might think that something is a piece of cake (very easy) or meat and drink to you (something you enjoy because you can do it very easily), but things could go pear-shaped (go badly wrong) and your boss (the big cheese) might go bananas (get very angry) because what you did takes the biscuit (is the most silly, stupid or annoying thing in a series of things). If this happens, don’t rub salt into the wound (make matters worse) by saying something you might regret later and remember which side your bread is buttered(who to be nice to in order to gain advantages for yourself).

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Idioms: Furniture

‘Manchester City’s dramatic victory brought down the curtain on an amazing season.’ Another expression used to indicate the end of something, or even death, is the final curtain, as in ‘It seems that his death did not spell the final curtain for the King of Pop as millions of his records are still being sold’. The expression be curtains for can be used to say that someone or something will die, end or be in serious trouble, as in ‘One more mistake and it’ll be curtains for him’.

If you roll out the red carpet for a guest, you give them very special treatment, but if you sweep something under the carpet, you try to avoid dealing with a problem, as in ‘You can’t just sweep important issues like these under the carpet‘.

If the cupboard is bare, there is no money left, as in ‘I’d love to lend you some money but I’m afraid the cupboard is bare at the moment’. If someone has a skeleton in the cupboard, they have an embarrassing secret about their past that they do not want anyone to know about.

To turn the tables on someone means to succeed in gaining an advantage over someone who until now had an advantage over you, as in ‘Ten years ago the developed world dominated the world economy but now the tables are turning‘.

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Idioms: Heart

The British and Irish Lions rugby team is currently touring in South Africa and, despite the fact that they have lost their two international matches against the world champions, South Africa, their coach insists that the players can take heart from their performances (feel encouraged by them). The players should not lose heart (feel disappointed and try less hard) before the final match because, if they play as if their hearts are not in it (they do not really care), they will lose heavily.

To many people, it seemed that the players played their hearts out in both matches (put a terrific amount of effort into them) and you would have to have had a heart of stone (be extremely unsympathetic) not to feel sorry for them.

In the weeks before the tour, they had set their hearts on winning the series (decided they wanted to do it very much). In the second match in particular, Lions fans had their hearts in their mouths (were feeling extremely apprehensive and worried) when their team held a narrow lead just before the final whistle and their hearts sank (they felt very disappointed) when South Africa scored in the last minute. But in the end, even the most ardent Lions supporter would have to admit in their heart of hearts (admit their secret feelings) that their opponents were excellent.

It was regrettable, however, that one or two members of the winning side resorted to foul play in the match and one has since been banned from playing for eight weeks. My heart bleeds (taken at face value, this expression means that you feel sympathy for someone, but it is usually used to indicate the opposite – that you do not feel any sympathy for them whatsoever).

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