Reading set "Random idiom flashcards set to learn" (Number of items 10)

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scare out of one's wits

To frighten very much.
The owl's hooting scared him out of his wits.
The child was scared stiff in the dentist's chair.
Pete's ghost story scared the daylights out of the smaller boys.
Categories:informal verb



make a pass at

make a pass at  {v. phr.},  {slang},  {informal}
Make advances toward a member of the opposite sex (usually man to a woman) with the goal of seducing the person.
We've been dating for four weeks but Joe has never even made a pass at me.
Categories:informal slang verb



man of means

man of means  {n. phr.}
A rich person.
He became a man of means by successfully playing the stock market.
Categories:noun



off feed

off feed or off one's feed  {adj. phr.},  {informal}
Not feeling well; lacking in vitality; droopy; moody.
Mary was worried; her canary was off feed.
Jerry seemed to be off his feed; he did not joke and laugh with the others.



on an even keel

on an even keel  {adv. phr.},  {informal}
In a well-ordered way or condition; orderly.
When the football rally seemed almost ready to become a riot, the principal stepped to the platform and got things back on an even keel.
Categories:adverb informal



rattle off

rattle off or reel off  {v.}
To say quickly without having to stop to think; recite easily and rapidly.
When Roger was seven he could rattle off the names of all the states in alphabetical order.
Joan memorized the "Gettysburg Address" so well that she could reel it off.
We asked the waitress what flavors of ice cream she had, and she rattled them off.
Categories:verb



up and about

up and about or around  {adv. phr.}
Recovered and able to move about; once again in good health after an illness.
My sister was ill for several weeks, but is now up and about again.
Categories:adverb



up and at them

1.  {adv. phr.}
Actively engaged in a task as if doing combat.
"You want to know whether he will make a diligent worker?" Dick asked. "Well, I can tell you that most of the time he is up and at them like no one else I know."
2.  {v. phr.}
To become aggressively engaged in doing something; (useable as a command).
Come on, up and at them, you guys. We still have a lot of work to get done.
Categories:adverb time verb



walls have ears

Sometimes one's most confidential conversations are overheard.
"Be careful what you say," he whispered. "Remember that walls have ears."



way off

way off  {adj. phr.}
At a great distance from a particular point (said of a discrepancy).
We were way off on our calculations; the house cost us twice as much as we had thought.
Categories:adjective