Illustrated american idioms
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FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students to describe some ways to have the
following well in hand or to be on top of the situation.
1. a difficult university course
2. a constant lack of money
3. a fob one doesn't like
4. a planned trip
5. a dinner for eight guests
6. the purchase of a house or apartment
HEAD AND SHOULDERS
DEFINITION: Very much; by far; by a great deal (Often used with ABOVE)
ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES
Lucia is head and shoulders above the rest of the group learning ballet. (Paraphrase: She's a better
dancer than any of the others.)
This coffee is head and shoulders above the brand we had last week. (Paraphrase: It is a superior
brand of coffee.)
SYNONYMOUS EXPRESSIONS
FAR AND AWAY
BY FAR By a large difference, very much
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students to make comparisons of the following using
the idioms or synonymous expressions.
1. Our car________________________their car.
2. My mother's cake_______________________________her mother's cake.
3. My brother as a basketball player_________________________________
4. Our town's orchestra_______________________________
5. Dr. Walton as a biology teacher ______________________________
6. Adam Smith as an economist_______________________________
7. Mozart as a composer________________________________
8. Dufy as a painter_______________________________
9. Kant as a philosopher_______________________________
1O. Disneyland as a place to visit_________________________________
HEAD-ON
HEAD-ON
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DEFINITION 1 : With the head or front pointing at; with the front facing; front end
to front end
ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES
• Neither driver saw the other and the two cars crashed head-on. (Paraphrase: The front ends of both
cars hit each other.)
• In the dark, we didn't see the curve, ran off the road, and crashed head-on into a tree. (Paraphrase:
The front end of our car hit a tree.)
DEFINITION 2: In a way that Is exactly opposite; against or opposed to in
argument; direct or uncompromising
ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES
• Attacking that regulation head-on Is the best way to get it changed. (Paraphrase: Direct
opposition to the regulation is the best way to effect a change.)
• Avoid a head-on discussion with that teacher. He always wins. (Paraphrase: Don't oppose him
face-to-face.)
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students to decide which of the following are
"head-on" situations.
1. A truck backs into a lamp post.
2. An angry father confronts his disobedient child.
3. The President presents Ms case for a new taw direct to a group of senators.
4. A ship runs Into a group of rocks.
5. A mother leaves the room when her son begins to disagree with her.
6. A worried patient goes to talk to his doctor about his health.
7. An employee makes a strong case with his boss about the need for a raise In salary.
8. A distrusting wife decides not to question her husband about his activities.
9. A young woman describes her feelings to her boy friend concerning some Insulting remarks he
has made about her.
10. A fast moving train passes through a tunnel.
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HEAD OVER HEELS
HEAD OVER HEELS
DEFINITION 1: Head first; upside down; In a somersault
ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES
• Mary stumbled and fell head over heels down the stairs. (Paraphrase: She fell head first.)
• The children rolled head over heels down the hillside covered with snow, shouting with joy.
(Paraphrase: They went down the hillside turning somersaults as they played In the
snow.) DEFINITION 2: Completely; deeply; totally ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES
• Sonja Is head over heels In love with Eric. (Paraphrase: She is deeply in love with him.)
• The Masons were so unwise In spending their money that now they are head over heels In
debt.
(Paraphrase: They are completely in debt.)
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students to describe times when they have either
(1) fallen head over heels (physically) or (2) fallen head over heels (in debt or
love).
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HIT THE JACKPOT
(to) HIT THE JACKPOT
DEFINITION: To be very lucky or successful
ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES
• When he bet on that horse, Jack really hit the jackpot. He won $10,000! (Paraphrase: He was very
lucky and won a lot of money.)
• You certainly hit the Jackpot when you got Mr. Arnold for a teacher. She's the best in the school!
(Paraphrase: You were most fortunate to get such a good teacher.)
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students to give personal examples when they
have hit the jackpot or barely missed doing so.
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students If the following persons hit the jackpot
1. Horace Welch when he lost $5,000 on a bad Investment.
2. Loraine Daniel when she got a new job paying her twice the salary of her present job.
3. Dr. Evan Peabody when his new Invention became extremely popular within a few weeks and
began to give him more and more Income.
4. Edwin Tull who found a large deposit of coal on his farm only to discover later that Its quality
was very poor and not worth mining.
5. Mrs. Cecil Wainbridge who got the best tutor In the city for her two children.
6. Melanle Cook who found a new apartment In a desirable area of town for one-half of the rent she
Is now paying.
7. Officer Stanley Osgood who, In his search for a wanted bank robber, finds three very dangerous
criminals In the same hotel.
HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD
(to) HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD
DEFINITION: To get something exactly right; to speak or act In the most
appropriate way
ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES
• You sure hit the nail on the head with those remarks about high meat prices. (Paraphrase:
Your comments were exactly correct.)
• Paul's solution to the problem we faced hit the nail right on the head. (Paraphrase: His
solution was exactly right.)
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SYNONYMOUS EXPRESSIONS
BE ON THE BEAM
BE ON TARGET
=
To be just right; to be good or correct
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students to give examples of current or
historical events, decisions, Inventions, etc. that demonstrate the meaning of
the target Idiom and synonymous expressions.
(to) HOP IN
DEFINITION: To enter (a car or truck) ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES
• Bob stopped his car and asked me to hop In. (Paraphrase: Bob Invited ma to enter his car.)
• Everybody hopped in the back of the truck and away we went to the lake. (Paraphrase: We all
entered the back of the truck and went to the lake.)
SYNONYMOUS EXPRESSIONS
GET IN _ To enter or be allowed to enter JUMP IN (especially vehicles)
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask the students to prepare three short
dialogues in which HOP IN, GET IN, or JUMP IN are used at least once.
HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR
HORSE OF ANOTHER (A DIFFERENT) COLOR
DEFINITION: Something completely separate and different
ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES
Nearly everyone likes to eat ice cream but to eat a gallon at one time Is a horse of a
different color.
(Paraphrase: To eat Ice cream is one thing but to eat an excessive amount is a different
matter.)
To steal is one thing but to steal from one's children Is a horse of another color.
(Paraphrase: To steal Is one thing, but to steal from one's children Is completely a different
matter.)
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You mean that pretty girl came with her brother, not her fiance? Then, that's a horse of a
different color.
(Paraphrase: That's something different from what I thought.)
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students to prepare illustrative sentences of the
idiom using the following:
1. to take a long trip by bus — by jet airplane
2. to see a /ton on TV—to meet one face to face
3. to read a book about a movie star — to meet the star In person
4. to listen to a symphony on records — to attend a concert
5. to enjoy watching a game of tennis — to play a game
6. to see pictures of the landing on the moon —to actually land there
7. to sympathize with a sick Mend — to actually be III
8. to play and sing songs for friends —to play and sing In public
9. . to say one Is going to diet— to really do so
10. to promise never to smoke again —to actually do so
HOT UNDER THE COLLAR
DEFINITION: Angry
ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES
• My father gets hot under the collar If you tease him about his weight. (Paraphrase: He
becomes angry when someone jokes about his weight)
• Sam really got hot under the collar when he heard that his brother had wrecked the car.
(Paraphrase: He became quite angry at the news of his brother's accident with his car.)
SYNONYMOUS EXPRESSION
BURNED UP = Angry; annoyed; Irritated
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students to give examples of things or situations
that most cause or have caused them to be hot under the collar or burned up.
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students to decide if any of the following might be
hot under the collar or burned up.
1. A woman who has Just found an extra $20 bill In her purse.
2. A motorist who has been trying to enter a parking area tor fifteen minutes but who is
frustrated by slow traffic.
3. A teacher who has just finished giving an examination only to discover that it is the wrong
examination for the class that has taken it
4. A supervisor who discovers that one of his workers has spent all afternoon watching
television Instead of doing his job.
5. A mother who has just received a lovely birthday gift from one of her children.
6. A policeman who Is Ignored when he tries to stop a pedestrian from crossing the street
Illegally,
7. A store owner who discovers that one of his clerks has been stealing money for over six
weeks.
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IN A BIND (BOX)
DEFINITION: In trouble or difficulty or likely to have trouble or problems
ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES
• Walter is going to be In a bind If he doesn't get a loan from the bank. (Paraphrase: He's going
to have financial problems without a loan.)
• When six of her relatives came to visit her during the same week, Ella found herself in a bind
for beds.
(Paraphrase: She didn't have enough beds for six people.)
RELATED EXPRESSIONS
BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP = Between two dangers or (BLUE SEA)
difficulties
ON THE HORNS OF A DILEMMA = In a situation demanding a decision
between two undesirable choices IN A BAD WAY = In trouble or likely to have trouble
HAVE ONE COMING AND GOING - To be left with no apparent way out of a difficulty
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students to use the idioms to describe the following
situations.
1. A criminal trapped by the police who can either surrender and go to jail for many years or
keep on fighting and be killed.
2. A husband who must endure scolding and anger from both his wife and his mother-in-law.
3. A daughter caught cheating on an exam at school who will be punished by the school
principal and by her parents.
4. A driver whose car stops suddenly on the railroad tracks just as a train Is approaching.
5. A cook who has agreed to prepare a special dish for two different families at the same time
on the same day.
6. A business executive who at midnight discovers that he has come to the wrong city for a
conference that begins at eight o'clock the next morning.
7. A surgeon who must decide whether to remove three or all of the fingers of a man's hand
Injured In an accident.
8. A lawyer who has to inform his client that he will either be sentenced to prison for life or be
executed.
9. A teacher who must decide whether to tell his student that he knows that the student has
been copying from another student.
10. A farmer who faces bankruptcy unless his rich brother lends him some money for a year.
IN A STEW
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DEFINITION: Agitated; upset; disturbed
ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES
• Martha is in a stew over her lost keys.
(Paraphrase: She's upset because she lost them and can't find them.)
• John really gets in a stew if the bus doesn't arrive on time. (Paraphrase: He becomes agitated
If the bus arrives late.)
RELATED EXPRESSION
(to) STEW IN ONE'S OWN JUICE
:
To suffer from problems of one's own making
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students to decide if the following have reason to be
in a stew.
1. A mother whose children are two hours late getting home from school.
2. A priest whose congregation has given him a new car as a present.
3. A husband whose wife Is expecting the birth of their first baby as he waits for the doctor to
arrive.
4. A business executive in a hurry to get to the airport but caught in a traffic Jam.
5. A young woman whose fiance has just given her a diamond engagement ring.
6. A taxi driver trying to get his taxicab out of a large snowbank where It Is stuck.
7. A teen-age girl who has a difficult time finding suitable clothes to wear to an Important party.
8. A husband whose wife repeatedly insists on serving him food he doesn't like.
9. A novelist whose latest novel has won worldwide acclaim as being his/her best. 10. A bride
waiting at the church for the groom who Is fifteen minutes late In arriving.
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students to decide if the following problems would
cause them to stew in their own Juice.
1. Unpaid personal debts
2. Mislaid house keys
3. Rainy day and no umbrella or raincoat
4. Friend angered by an Insulting remark
5. Flat tire caused by defect in tire
6. Loss of job because of a reduction in staff
7. Prolonged Illness from unknown causes
IN A TIGHT SPOT
IN A TIGHT SPOT
DEFINITION: In trouble or difficulty
ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES
My uncle lost his fob and is In a tight spot financially.
(Paraphrase: He Is In a difficult financial situation.)
• Sarah is In a tight spot because her car broke down and she needs It to get to work.
(Paraphrase: Sarah faces a difficult situation without a car to get to her job.)
SYNONYMOUS EXPRESSION
IN THE SOUP
IN HOT WATER } In serious trouble
IN A JAM
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FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students to describe six or more difficult situations to
which the idiom and synonymous expressions can be applied.
IN THE CHIPS
DEFINITION: Rich; having plenty of money
ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES
• After he won the lottery, he was In the chips. (Paraphrase: He had plenty of money after winning
the lottery.)
• Sam's Invention has earned so much money that he is really In the chips. (Paraphrase: He has
become quite wealthy from the sale of his Invention.)
RELATED EXPRESSIONS
IN THE MONEY = rich ON EASY STREET = rich
WELL-TO-DO = Prosperous; having plenty of money
IN CLOVER = In rich comfort; rich or successful
IN THE LAP OF LUXURY = Having most things money can buy
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students to decide on some of the best ways to get
to a point of being in the chips, in the money, in clover, on easy street, or well-to-
do.
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students to discuss the advantages and
disadvantages of living in the lap of luxury.
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Using the Idiom or related expressions, describe the
persons In the following situations.
1. A man who has Inherited a large fortune from his elderly aunt who has just died.
2. A family that has always had fine homes, cars, yachts, money to travel all over the world, etc.
3. A young woman who has achieved fame and fortune In the movies, has bought a large mansion
In Hollywood, and who is planning to buy a small jet airplane.
4. An elderly couple who have wealth, fine homes, automobiles, airplanes, boats, etc., and who are
friends with many of the royal families of the world.
5. A gambler who suddenly wins over $100,000 in a poker game in a Las Vegas, Nevada, gambling
casino.
6. A poor farmer who finds a large diamond in one of his fields and who has been offered over one
million dollars for the gem by one of the world's leading jewel merchants.
IN THE DOGHOUSE
DEFINITION: In disgrace or disfavor
ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES
• Sam's wife is mad at him because he didn't get home until three In the morning. So he's in the
doghouse today.
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(Paraphrase: He's In disfavor with his wife because he came home so late.)
• The whole team was In the doghouse because they lost the game. (Paraphrase: They were In
disgrace for having been defeated.)
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students to name three to five happenings that
might cause a person or persons to be in the doghouse.
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: The expression, DOWN ON, means angry at or having a
grudge against something or someone. (A person can be in the doghouse
because someone else Is down on him, for example.) Ask students to cite
examples of persons or things they are down on and give the reason why.
JUMP (CLIMB, GET) ON THE
BANDWAGON
(to) JUMP (CLIMB, GET) ON THE BANDWAGON
DEFINITION: To support a group or a cause that appears to be gaining in
success or popularity
ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES
• As soon as his friends decided to vote for Tom Williams, Harry jumped on the bandwagon, too.
(Paraphrase: Harry decided to Join his friends in their support of Tom Williams.)
• If her cousin joins the new music society, Helen will climb on the bandwagon, too. (Paraphrase:
Helen will become a member If her cousin does.)
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students to decide if they would get on the
bandwagon for the following.
1. A political group that denounces excessive government spending.
2. A group that wants to abolish income faxes.
3. A club that is limited to persons of proven athletic ability, and that proclaims physical fitness as
'the key to success.
4. A group that seeks people who want to Join in an effort to eliminate animal pets In cities.
5. A group whose cause is to elect a woman as president of the country.
6. A group of neighbors who want to ask a family that has many noisy parties to move away.
7. A group whose cause is to abolish the use of nuclear energy.
KEEP ONE'S COOL
(to) KEEP ONE'S COOL
DEFINITION: To remain calm or indifferent ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES
• In spite of all the excitement over the disaster, the men were able to keep their cool and
continue the rescue work.
(Paraphrase: They managed to remain calm in spite of all the noise and disturbance.)
• When Randy heard the shots, he kept his cool and called the police. (Paraphrase: He remained
calm and telephoned the police.)
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SYNONYMOUS EXPRESSIONS
KEEP ONE'S HEAD = To stay calm when there's trouble or danger
COUNT TO TEN = TO remain calm and delay action when angry (by counting to ten) to
avoid acting rashly
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students to describe situations In which they find it
most difficult to keep their cool or their head or count to ten.
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students If, and when, It Is justifiable to lose one's
cool or one's head.
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students to decide In which of the following
situations it would be necessary to keep one's cool (head) or count to ten.
1. While walking through the woods, you come face to face with a large bear.
2. While walking down the street, you meet an old friend.
3. While driving through a section of the city at night, you suddenly see the body of a man In the
street In front of you.
4. While entering a bank, you hear gunshots and see three men running toward you,
5. While reading a mystery novel In bed, you hear a strange noise downstairs and get up to
Investigate.
6. While seated In a movie theater you notice smoke coming from the area near the screen on
which the fUm appears.
7. While shopping In a large department store, you suddenly notice that your billfold (pocket book)
Is missing.
8. While visiting a friend In another city, you suddenly realize that your birthdays are on the same
day.
9. While sitting In the park, you notice that the leaves on the trees are beginning to turn green.
10. While riding on the bus to work, you notice a strange smell coming from the motor.
KEEP ONE'S EYES PEELED
(to) KEEP ONE'S EYES PEELED
DEFINITION: To watch carefully; to be always looking
ILLUSTRATIVE SENTENCES
• Keep your eyes peeled for snakes when you are In the woods! (Paraphrase: Watch carefully
for snakes.)
• Sam kept his eyes peeled for the house number as he walked down the narrow street.
(Paraphrase: He was looking for the house as he walked along.)
SYNONYMOUS EXPRESSIONS
BE ON THE LOOKOUT (FOR)
KEEP ONE'S EYES OPEN To be ready to see; to pay watchful attention
KEEP AN EYE OUT (FOR)
FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask students if the following are something that one
should keep his eyes peeled for, be on the lookout for, keep his eyes open for or
keep an eye out for.
1. A diamond lying on the main street of a town.
2. A better job.
3. A husband or wife.
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