| apple of one`s eye |
someone or something that one likes a lot |
| back to the salt mines |
back to work, humorous expression to express going back to
unpleasant work |
| bad egg |
a bad person, bum |
| big cheese |
an important person, a leader |
| bread and butter |
basic needs of life
(food, shelter, clothing) |
| bring home the bacon |
earn your family's living |
| butter
up |
flatter someone to try to get their favor or friendship |
| carrot and stick |
promising to reward or punish someone at the same time |
| chew the fat |
chat |
| coffee break |
a break from work to rest and drink coffee |
| cool as a cucumber |
calm, not nervous or anxious |
| cream of the crop |
best of a group, the top choice |
| cry over spilt milk |
cry or complain about something that has already happened |
| cup of tea |
something one enjoys or does well |
| cut the mustard |
succeed, do well enough what needs to be done |
| duck soup |
a task that doesn`t require much effort |
| eat crow |
admit one is mistaken or defeated, take back a mistaken
statement |
| eat dirt |
act humble, accept another`s insult or bad treatment |
| eat humble pie |
be humbled, admit one`s error and apologize |
| eat one`s cake and have it too |
use or spend something and still keep it |
| eat one`s words |
take back something one has said, admit something is not
true |
| egg on |
urge someone on |
| finger in the pie |
participate in something that is happening |
| full of beans |
feel energetic, in high spirits |
| half-baked |
not thought out or studied carefully |
| hand to someone on a silver platter |
give a person something that has not been earned |
| hard nut to crack |
something or someone difficult to understand or do |
| (get or) have egg on one`s face |
to be embarrassed |
| hit the sauce |
drink alcohol - usually regularly |
| hot potato |
a question or argument that is controversial and difficult
to settle |
| in the soup |
in serious trouble, in disorder |
| make one`s mouth water |
look or smell very good, want to eat or drink very much |
| in a nutshell |
briefly, in a few words |
| nutty as a fruitcake |
crazy |
| out of the frying pan and into the fire |
go from something bad to something worse |
| piece of cake |
a task that is easily accomplished |
| polish the apple |
flatter someone |
| souped up |
change something to make it faster or more powerful by
changing or adding something |
| salt away |
save money |
| sell like hotcakes |
sell quickly or rapidly |
| spill the beans |
tell a secret to someone who is not supposed to know about
it |
| stew in one`s own juice |
suffer from something that one has caused to happen |
| take with a grain of salt |
accept or believe only part of something |
| upset the applecart |
ruin a plan or event by surprise or accident |
| worth one`s salt |
being a good worker, worth what one is paid |
| gravy train |
a job or work that pays more than it is worth |
