To draw a blank
Context #1: Faz and Tyler are eating at a restaurant. Tyler: Faz, you are the most forgetful person I know. Faz: No way! My memory is just fine. Tyler: Oh, really? How long have we known each other? Faz: Um… More than ten years! Tyler: Okay, so what is my name? Faz: It’s…ah… Give me […]
Cut the mustard
Context #1 John: Who are you going to choose for the front desk staff position? Wick: I’m not sure yet. Both candidates are smart, but neither can cut the mustard. John: You have to pick one of them though, right? Wick: Not if they can’t meet our standards. Context #2 Paulie: I’m not worried about next […]
To fall short (of)
Context #1: Gabriel: Do you have any idea what this meeting is about today? Katie: Apparently, we fell short of our monthly goal again. Gabriel: Oh no! I thought sales were up this month. Katie: Maybe in your department, but overall, our sales are down. Meaning: The expression “to fall short (of)” means to fail […]
To burn the midnight oil
Context #1: Ted and Wilma just finished an exam… Ted: How was the exam? Wilma: I think I did well, but I’m so tired, I don’t know for sure. Ted: Really? What happened? Wilma: I was getting ready for bed when I discovered that I didn’t read three chapters of the text book. Ted: Oh […]
To hit the nail on the head
Idiom: To hit the nail on the head – get it right, get it, guess correctly, speak (the) truth Context #1 – Students are in English class Teacher: OK. Can anyone tell me what the word “affluent” means? Student 1: To be sick? Teacher: No, that’s not what it means. Good try, though. Anyone else? Student 2: To have […]
Add Insult to Injury
Context #1 I had a boyfriend for nearly 2 months. He recently broke up with me. He claimed the relationship was not working because I was not his “type.” My hair is blonde, I have blue eyes, and I’m fairly athletic. When we first met, he said I was exactly his type! Recently, my friend […]
Fish out of water
Context #1 Two colleagues are talking at work… Penny: How are you finding the transition from accounting to account management? Mark: It’s all quite difficult and confusing. I am never sure just what it is I should be doing. Penny: It’s natural to feel like a fish out of water for the first few weeks. […]
Be in the same boat
Context #1 Ana: Hello, Andrew! Where are you going? Andrew: I am going to the mayor to ask him to take necessary steps against environmental pollution. Ana: You’re right. Environmental pollution has become a great problem in our lives. Andrew: Even though the environment helps us to exist, we don’t bother to take care of […]
Pull Christmas Crackers
Context #1 Family sitting down for Christmas dinner Dad: OK everyone. Let’s sit down to eat Christmas dinner! Jason: Dad, can we pull the Christmas crackers now? Dad: Sure, Jason! Go ahead. Jason: Pulling Christmas cracker with his sister and it makes a “bang.” Mother: Oh, look at those cute little toys. OK, Jason, now let […]
To look on the bright side
Context #1: Amy: We need to save money. Brian: Why do we need to save money? Amy:Because we need to buy a house. Brian: But a house is so expensive. Amy: That’s why we need to save money. Brian: How much do we need to save? Amy:We need to save enough for a down payment. Brian: How much is that? Amy: That’s […]
