The big book of american idioms a comprehensive dictionary of english idioms expressions phrases sayings

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The Big Book of American Idioms:

A Comprehensive Dictionary of English Idioms, Expressions, Phrases
& Sayings


Copyright © 2020 by Jackie Bolen

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical means

without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the
case of brief quotations in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission
requests, write to the publisher/author at the following address:
Jackie Bolen:


Table of Contents

About the Author: Jackie
A bee in my
Add insult to
A dime a
A hard nut to crack (A tough nut to
Ahead of the
A lot on my
An apple a day keeps the doctor
A piece of
As far as I can
As fit as a
A storm is
A tough pill to swallow (A bitter pill to
At death's
At the eleventh
Back to square
Back to the drawing
Bang for the
Barking up the wrong
Beat around the
Beat me to the
Behind the

Bend over

Better late than


Bite the
Blessing in
Blow off some
Blow the
Born with a silver spoon in his
Break a
Break the
Break out in a cold
Bring a lot to the
Bring home the
Bring me up to
Burning the midnight
Burn the candle at both
Bury my head in the
Busy as a beaver (Busy as a
Butterflies in my
Buttering me
By the
By the skin of his
Call it a
Calm before the
Can't make heads or tails of
Can't put my finger on
Card up my

Cash in your
Caught between a rock and a hard
Caught me off
Compare apples to
Cool as a


Corner the
Costs an arm and a
Costs a pretty
Counting her chickens before they
Crack the
Crunch the
Cut to the
Don't see eye to
Don't waste your
Down on my
Eat like a
Eat like a
Fall through the
Feeling the
Feeling under the
Food for
Foot the
From rags to
Get down to
Get into deep
Get in touch

Get my foot in the

Get the ball
Getting on in
Get up to
Give her a
Give him the cold
Give them a run for their
Go for


Good head on your
Go out on a limb
Go the extra
Got a taste of his own
Got up on the wrong side of the
Got started off on the wrong
Got wind
Go with the
Have your cake and eat it
Hit the
Hit the ground
Hit the nail on the
Hold the purse
I'll have to see it to believe

In it for the long
In the dog
In the driver's
In the same
It's a long
It's not rocket

It's the least I can
It's time to face the
It takes two to
I've got my work cut out for
Jumping on the
Keep me in the
Keep me on my
Keep this under
Keep your eye on the


Keep your head above
Kick back and
Kill two birds with one
Knock yourself
Land on your
Learn the
Let off the
Letting bygones be

Let the dust
Like riding a
Like two peas in a
Living hand to
Looks like a million
Make a break for
Making a mountain out of a
Make ends
Make some bank (Make
Missed the

Money burning a hole in your
Money to
Mum's the
My hands are
My lips are
Needle in a
Nip this in the
No pain, no
Not going to
Not my cup of
Not out of the


Not seeing the forest for the
Not set in
Off his
Off the top of my

Once in a blue
Out of the
Out of my
Paying through the
Pick up the
Playing catch
Pull the
Pull the wool over my
Put all your eggs in one basket
Put my best foot
Put your money where your mouth
Put the cart before the

Quit cold
Race against the
Rally the
Read between the
Rock the
Rule of
Running around in
Same old, same
Selling like
Shake things
Shop till she
Sick as a
Smoke and


Speak of the

Spice things
Spill the
Stabbed someone in the
Stealing my
Step up to the
Strapped for
Take a
Take it lying
Taken to the
Take the bull by the
The ball's in your
The best of both
The bottom

The cat's out of the
The elephant in the
The last
The straw that broke the camel's
The writing is on the
Thinking outside the
This too shall
Through the
Throw in the
Throw someone under the
Tip of the
Too much time on your

Treading
Twist my


Two sides of the same
Under the
Under the wrong
Up in the
Vanished into thin
Walking a
Watch my
Water under the
When pigs
Weather the
When it rains, it
Within our
Working my fingers to the

Work my way
Work yourself to
Worse for
You can't judge a book by its
Your secret is safe with
Before You


Introduction

Welcome to this book designed to help you expand your
knowledge of idioms, expressions and phrases in American
English. My goal is to help you expand your vocabulary and to be
able to speak and write more fluently.

Let's face it, idioms can be difficult to master, even for the best
students. In this book, you'll find hundreds of English idioms and
phrases that are used in boardrooms, over a meal, and with
friends and family around the world.
The best way to learn new vocabulary is in context. That's why
each idiom comes with some example sentences. You'll also find
a simple explanation in plain English for each one as well as the
origin of the idiom if it's known.

To get the most bang for your buck, be sure to do the following:

–  Review frequently.

–  Use each idiom or phrase in real life as soon as possible.

–  Don't be nervous about making mistakes. That's how you'll get
better at English!


–  Consider studying with a friend to help each other stay
motivated.

Good luck and I wish you well on your journey to becoming more
proficient with idioms in American English.


About the Author: Jackie Bolen

I taught English in South Korea for 10 years to every level and
type of student. I've taught every age from kindergarten kids to
adults. Most of my time has centered around teaching at two
universities: five years at a science and engineering school in
Cheonan, and four years at a major university in Busan where I
taught upper-level classes for students majoring in English. In my
spare time, you can usually find me outside surfing, biking, hiking,
or snowshoeing. I now live in Vancouver, Canada.
In case you were wondering what my academic qualifications are,
I hold a Master of Arts in Psychology. During my time in Korea, I
completed both the Cambridge CELTA and DELTA certification
programs. With the combination of almost ten years teaching
ESL/EFL learners of all ages and levels, and the more formal
teaching qualifications I've obtained, I have a solid foundation on
which to offer advice to English learners.

I truly hope that you find this book useful. I would love it if you

sent me an email with any questions or feedback that you might
have.

Jackie Bolen
Twitter: @bolen_jackie

Email:


You might also be interested in this book: Advanced English
Conversation Dialogues. You can find it wherever you like to buy
books. It has hundreds of helpful English phrases and expressions
that can be used in a wide variety of situations. Learn to speak
more fluently in American English.


A bee in my bonnet

Meaning: A certain, specific issue that is annoying someone.
Origin: First seen in the 1500s. Came from the Scottish idiom, “A
head full of bees.” It's evident how annoying a bee buzzing
around in your hat (bonnet) would be.

He had a bee in his bonnet about the new protocol at work.
I have a bee in my bonnet about the bad decision my boss made.
It has a big negative impact on me.


Add insult to Injury

Meaning: Make something already bad worse. For example, a guy
fell off his bike but then a car ran over his foot.
Origin: Possibly from the ancient Roman fable of a bald man and
a fly. The man tried to crush a fly on his head but used too
much force and hurt himself too.

To add insult to my brother got Covid-19 when he went to the
hospital for a heart attack.
I don't want to add insult to injury after you've just finished your
shift but you'll have to work for a few more hours. Johnny called
in sick today.


A dime a dozen

Meaning: Something that is very common; not special.
Origin: First seen in the early 1800s when you could often buy a
dozen (12) things for $0.10 (a dime).

Jobs in tech are a dime a dozen in this town.

Guys like that are a dime a dozen on this dating site. I'm looking
for something different.


A hard nut to crack (A tough nut to crack)

Meaning: Someone who is difficult to get to know.
Origin: Used since the 1700s. Refers to how it's not easy to open
a nut because of the hard shell. Depending on the nut, it's not

possible to do it without a special tool.

She's a hard nut to It's been years and I still have no idea if
she's married or not.
My boss is a hard nut to I can't figure out if he likes me or not.


Ahead of the pack

Meaning: To be ahead of other people or companies trying to do
a similar thing.
Origin: “Pack” has been used to refer to a group of people since
the 1400s. Or, it could be a reference to pack animals like dogs
that have a leader that goes near the front.

I think we can get ahead of the pack here and gain some serious
market share.
There's no point in getting too far ahead of the We'd have to wait
for everyone else to catch up to us.


A lot on my plate

Meaning: Many responsibilities.
Origin: First used in the 1900s. Refers to a plate that's heaping
full of food and difficult to balance when carrying it to a table.
Now, imagine those are your responsibilities!

I have a lot on my plate with work and school.
She has a lot on her plate at work these days. She's managing

three projects.