Everyday Idioms One and Two bring the challenge of learning typical American English expressions within any student¿s reach. Each book presents over 1,200 idioms within tightly organized semantic categories. No other idiom texts give as comprehensive coverage of essential American idioms or make them as accessible to students.
Table of Contents:
Unit 1 In the Morning
wake up / crack of dawn / go off / not sleep a wink / sleep like a log / take a shower / get ready / get someone going / start the day off (right) / sleep in
Unit 2 In the Evening
go out / stay out / stay up / be tired out / fall asleep / turn in / hit the sack / bed down / after hours
Unit 3 Around the House
keep house / clean up / put back / fix the meal / do the dishes / take out / odds and ends / garage sale / clean out / fix up
Unit 4 On the Job
do for a living / make a living / white-collar / put in / clock in / get off (work) / call it a day / close up (shop) / graveyard shift
Unit 5 Vacation Time
have off / on leave / go away / see off / take in / check in / check out (of) / book up / get back
Unit 6 Resting and Relaxing
take a nap / take a break / take it easy / have free time / pass the time / daydream / loosen up
Unit 7 An Active Lifestyle
early bird / night owl / night on the town / live (life) in the fast lane / live it up / have a ball / party animal / throw a party / get out (and about)
Unit 8 Transportation
get around / get out of / get in (to) / ride shotgun / take a spin / on someone’s tail / make good time / fill up / gas-guzzler / take off
Unit 9 Commuting
take off (to work) / buckle up / drop off / give a lift / on one’s way / rush hour / share a ride / carpool lane / double-park
Unit 10 The Weather
cool down / heat up / rain cats and dogs / run off / cold spell / roll in / die down / clear up / dry up
Review: Units 1-10
Unit 11 Small Talk
shake hands / not see for ages / a sight for sore eyes / long time no see / strike up a conversation / make small talk / break the ice / shoot the breeze / what’s going on? / so long / catch you later /
Unit 12 On the Telephone
make a (phone) call / be on the phone / over the phone / call up / hold on / off the hook / call back / hang up / crank call
Unit 13 Communicating
drop someone a line / dash off / hear from / be in touch (with) / get in touch with / get back to / talk a mile a minute / bend someone’s ear / yackety-yak
Unit 14 School
sign up for / hit the books / brush up on / pop quiz / hand in / hand out / teacher’s pet / cut class(es) / drop out (of)
Unit 15 Shopping
pick up / pick out / on sale / hunt for bargains / shop around / window-shop / buy up / raincheck / stock up (on) / take back
Unit 16 Eating and Dining
eat out / take out / junk food / eat up / leftovers / doggy bag / pot luck / pig out / wolf down / have a sweet tooth
Unit 17 Family
come from grow up / bring up / flesh and blood / take after / settle down / hand down / give birth to
Unit 18 Dating and Friendship
go out (with) / go with / blind date / fix up (with) / old flame / break up (with) / stand someone up / make up (with)
Unit 19 Inviting
how about...? / be free / ask out / have over / go along (with) / take someone up on / turn down / take a raincheck
Unit 20 Visiting
pay a visit / drop in (on) / swing by / stop over / get together / show in / make oneself at home / feel at home / take a seat / show out
Review: Units 11-20
Unit 21 Health and Exercise
be in shape / be on a diet / put on weight / warm up / work out / build up / catch one’s breath / work off / lay off / cool off
Unit 22 Illness and Disease
be under the weather / feel out of it / come down with / run a fever / go around / run its course / take a turn for the worse / get a checkup / be laid up / get over
Unit 23 Clothing
put on / get dressed try on / dress up / go with / take off / fold up / wear out / grow out of / bundle up
Unit 24 Budget and Cost
be broke / make ends meet / get by / cut corners / do without / come to / pick up the tab / be a steal / cost an arm and a leg / be a rip-off
Unit 25 Time
in a while / for a while / for the time being / for good / from now on / sooner or later / from time to time / over and over (again) / day in and day out / in time (to)
Unit 26 Movement and Position
stand up / sit up / make room for / move over / take up / head for / turn back / pass by / on foot / be (right) under someone’s nose / high and low /
Unit 27 Departing
be off / take off / get going / head out / head off / dash off / clear out / be long gone / sneak off
Unit 28 Making Things Work
turn on / turn up / act up / break down / burn out / fall apart / fall off / out of order / be up and running
Unit 29 Events
take place / come up / go off / fall through / turn out (for) / sell out / be a full house / turn away / rain out / ring in the new year
Unit 30 Participation and Involvement
take part in / count in / have a hand in / team up (with) / show up / look on / be left out / sit out
Review Units 21-30
Unit 31 Describing People
come across (as) / party pooper / penny-pincher / go-getter / show off / know-it-all / open-minded / absent-minded / easy-going
Unit 32 Describing Things and Situation
paint a picture out of the ordinary / up to date / first-rate / out of this world / spick and span / brand new / clear-cut / be the pits / dog-eared
Unit 33 Ability and Experience
get the hang of / have a knack for / be right up one’s alley / be cut out for / know like the back of one’s hand / lose one’s touch / be all thumbs / wet behind the ears / have a green thumb
Unit 34 Effort and Laziness
go all out / burn the candle at both ends / burn the midnight oil / keep up / get around to / drag one’s feet / lift a finger / half-hearted / take the bull by the horns
Unit 35 Difficulty and Ease
run into trouble / be up against / in a jam / in dire straits / be in over one’s head / open a can of worms / ups and downs / without a hitch / be a piece of cake / no-brainer
Unit 36 Remembering and Forgetting
look back (on) / hold on to / keep in mind / learn something by heart / on the tip of one’s tongue / pop into one’s head / fade away / slip one’s mind / not cry over spilt milk / forgive and forget
Unit 37 Finding and Locating
be after / run across / come by / look into / find out / come up with / look up / read up on / go over / turn up
Unit 38 Understanding
get it / catch on / figure out / see someone’s point / get the message / not make head or tail of / be beyond / be Greek to / go in one ear and out the other / get wrong
Unit 39 Informing and Reporting
fill in (on) / keep posted / spread the word / catch up on / keep up on / what’s the scoop? / fill out / first-hand / break the news / hot off the press
Unit 40 Discussing and Interrupting
bring up / speak up / raise a question / go into / touch on / kick around / cover ground / go off on a tangent / break in / get a word in edgewise
Review: Units 31-40
Unit 41 Happiness and Sadness
be all smiles / be in seventh heaven / grin from ear to ear / make one’s day / happy camper / be down / feel blue / have (on) a long face / be a tear-jerker / lift one’s spirits
Unit 42 Anger and Annoyance
see red / tick off / raise one’s voice / have a short fuse / hit the roof / lose one’s temper / storm off (to) / be a pain in the neck / drive one crazy / blow off steam
Unit 43 Waiting, Patience, and Delay
hold on / be with / kill time / tie up / put off / sit on / hold up / run late / wait out
Unit 44 Interfering and Disturbing
be in the way / stick one’s nose into / mind one’s own business / busy-body / get on someone’s case / be none of someone’s business / knock it off / go away
Unit 45 Needs, Wants, and Preferences
have got to / had better / be supposed to / feel like / long for / could do with / would rather / so much the better / to each one’s own / have got the dibs on
Unit 46 Interest and Disinterest
take an interest in / be into / take up / take to / to one’s heart’s content / look forward to / get a kick out of / turn off / put to sleep / old hat
Unit 47 Certainty and Doubt
make sure / for sure / (there are) no ifs, ands, or buts about it / mark my words / bet on it / believe in / take at someone’s word / take someone’s word for it / give the benefit of the doubt / give me a break
Unit 48 Approval and Disapproval
be in favor of / give the green light / a big hand / sound good / go ahead / shake one’s head / take a dim view of / give a dirty look / I’m afraid not / be out of the question / /
Unit 49 Self-Control
get (a)hold of oneself / keep one’s wits (about one) / keep one’s cool / have one’s act together / mind over matter / level-headed / on the ball / hold in(side)
Unit 50 Success and Failure
get ahead / make the grade / pull off / make it big / come back / go over / blow it / give up / in vain / lost cause / back to square one
Review: Units 41-50
Index
Answer Key
