Reading set "Colloquial idioms flashcards set to learn" (Number of items 10)

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cop a plea

cop a plea  {v. phr.},  {slang},  {colloquial}
To plead guilty during a trial in the hope of getting a lighter sentence as a result.
The murderer of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., copped a plea of guilty, and got away with a life sentence instead of the death penalty.



couch doctor

couch doctor  {n.},  {slang},  {colloquial}
A psychoanalyst who puts his patients on a couch following the practice established by Sigmund Freud.
I didn't know your husband was a couch doctor, I thought he was a gynecologist!
Categories:colloquial noun slang



cut offs

cut offs  {n.},  {colloquial}
Pants cut to the length of shorts and usually left unhemmed so as to look old and worn, e.g., considered cool and elegant.
Jack always wears cut-offs during the summer.
Categories:colloquial noun



get off one's back

get off one's back  {v. phr.},  {slang},  {colloquial}
To stop criticizing or nagging someone.
"Get off my back! Can't you see how busy I am?"
Categories:colloquial slang verb



gung-ho

gung-ho  {adj.},  {colloquial}
Enthusiastic, full of eagerness in an uncritical or unsophisticated manner.
Suzie is all gung-ho on equal rights for women, but fails to see the consequences.
Categories:adjective colloquial



have something on the ball

have something on the ball  {v. phr.},  {slang},  {colloquial}
To be smart, clever; to be skilled and have the necessary know-how.
You can trust Syd; he's got a lot on the ball OR he's got something on the ball.
Categories:colloquial slang verb



inner city

inner city  {n.},  {colloquial}
Densely populated neighborhoods in large metropolitan areas inhabited by low income families usually of minority backgrounds, such as Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, or African Americans; characterized by slums and government-owned high rises.
Joe comes from the inner city — he may need help with his reading.
Categories:colloquial noun



move in on

move in on  {v. phr.},  {slang},  {colloquial}
To take over something that belongs to another.
He moved in on my girlfriend and now we're not talking to each other.
Categories:colloquial slang verb



private eye

private eye  {n.},  {colloquial}
A private investigator; a detective.
Buddy Ebsen played a private eye on "Bamaby Jones."
Categories:colloquial noun



send up

send up  {v. phr.},  {colloquial}
To sentence (someone) to prison.
Did you know that Milton Shaeffer was sent up for fifteen years?
Categories:colloquial verb