Flashcards based on "Random idiom flashcards set to learn" set

Prev Next
1 of 10


walk on eggs

Categories: verb
A Dictionary of American Idioms
1 of 10
[walk on eggs]  {v. phr.}
To act with utmost caution due to being in a precarious position.
Tom has been walking on eggs ever since he started working for a new boss in Cincinnati.
Categories: verb
A Dictionary of American Idioms
2 of 10


walking dictionary

Categories: noun
A Dictionary of American Idioms
2 of 10
[walking dictionary]  {n. phr.}
A person highly knowledgeable in matters of language use.
If you want to know what "serendipity" means, ask my Uncle Fred. He is a professor of English and is also a walking dictionary.
Categories: noun
A Dictionary of American Idioms
3 of 10


wear out

Categories: verb
A Dictionary of American Idioms
3 of 10
[wear out]  {v.}
1a. To use or wear until useless.
Bobby got a toy truck that would run on a battery, and he used it so much that he soon wore it out.
The stockings are so worn out that they can't be mended any more.
Compare: [GIVE OUT] (4), [USE UP].
1b. To become useless from use or wear.
The old clock finally wore out.
One shoe wore out before the other.
2. or [tire out]
To make very tired; weaken.
The children played inside when it rained, and they soon wore out their mother.
When Dick got home from the long walk, he was all worn out.
- Often used with "oneself".
Don't wear yourself out by playing too hard.
Compare: [GIVE OUT] (4).
3. To make by rubbing, scraping, or washing.
The waterfall has worn out a hole in the stone beneath it.
Categories: verb
A Dictionary of American Idioms
4 of 10


kiss someone

Categories: verb
A Dictionary of American Idioms
4 of 10
[kiss someone] or [something goodbye]  {v. phr.}
To lose or give up someone or something forever.
"If you won't marry Jane," Peter said to Tom, "you might as well kiss her goodbye."
People who bet on a losing horse at the races might as well kiss their money goodbye.
Categories: verb
A Dictionary of American Idioms
5 of 10


know something inside out

Categories: verb
A Dictionary of American Idioms
5 of 10
[know something inside out]  {v. phr.}
To be extremely well conversant with something; be an expert in; have thorough knowledge of.
Tom knows the stock market inside out.
Categories: verb
A Dictionary of American Idioms
6 of 10


in a pigs eye

Categories: adverb informal slang
A Dictionary of American Idioms
6 of 10
[in a pig's eye]  {adv.},  {slang},  {informal}
Hardly; unlikely; not so.
Would I marry him? In a pig's eye.
Categories: adverb informal slang
A Dictionary of American Idioms
7 of 10


in a pinch

Categories: adverb informal
A Dictionary of American Idioms
7 of 10
[in a pinch]  {adv. phr.},  {informal}
In an emergency.
Dave is a good friend who will always help out in a pinch.
Categories: adverb informal
A Dictionary of American Idioms
8 of 10


in at the kill

A Dictionary of American Idioms
8 of 10
[in at the kill]  {adj. phr.},  {informal}
Watching or taking part, usually with pleasure, at the end of a struggle; present at the finish.
Frank and John have been quarreling for a long time and tonight they are having a fight. Bill says he wants to be in at the kill, because he is Frank's friend.
A Dictionary of American Idioms
9 of 10


jug-eared

Categories: adjective
A Dictionary of American Idioms
9 of 10
[jug-eared]  {adj.}
With ears that stick out like the handles of a jug.
Tommy was a redheaded, freckle-faced, jug-eared boy.
Categories: adjective
A Dictionary of American Idioms
10 of 10


jaws tight

Categories: adjective informal slang
A Dictionary of American Idioms
10 of 10
[jaws tight]  {adj.},  {slang},  {informal}
Angry; uptight; tense.
Why are you getting your jaws so tight?
Categories: adjective informal slang
A Dictionary of American Idioms