Commonly used english part 49 pot

481

a license to (do something)

- the permission/right/chance to do something
When my uncle got the contract to sell food at the stadium it was a license to print
money.

not a lick of work

- not even a small amount of work (usually used in the negative)
The children did not do a lick of work all morning when the teacher was away.

lick one's lips

- show eagerness or pleasure about a future event
I began to lick my lips when I heard about the chance to go on the training course.

lick/whip (something) into shape

- put someone or something into good condition
The young man joined the military and was quickly whipped into shape.

lie/lay down on the job

- do a job poorly or not at all
The workers must have decided to lie down on the job because nothing was finished
when the supervisor arrived.

lie fallow

- remain unused (a field or land lies fallow)
The farmer let the field lie fallow for one growing season.







482

lie in state

- after death a famous person (usually a political leader) sometimes lies in a state of
honor in an open coffin so the public can see his or her body
The President lay in state for three days after his death.

lie in wait

- watch from hiding in order to attack or surprise someone
The police decided to lie in wait for the bank robbers to appear at the bank.

lie low

- stay quietly out of sight, try not to attract attention
"The man is very angry at you so I think that you should lie low for a few days until
he calms down."

lie through one's teeth

- tell lies
The woman will lie through her teeth in order to get what she wants.

life of Riley

- an easy life of luxury, a pleasant life
My father has been living the life of Riley since he retired from his job last year.

life of the party

- a person who is lively and helps make a party fun and exciting
My friend is the life of the party and everybody loves to see her.







483

not lift a finger/hand

- not do anything to help anyone
Although he is a nice person he will not lift a finger to help anyone else.

light into (someone)

- scold someone

The woman lit into her child when he came home from school late.

light into (something)

- devour/eat something
As soon as we arrived home we wanted to light into our dinner immediately.

light out (for somewhere)

- depart quickly for somewhere
We woke up early and prepared to light out for our first day of adventure.

light up

- suddenly look pleased and happy
As soon as I told my cousin about our holiday plans his face lit up and he started
smiling.


like Idioms
like a bat out of hell

- with great speed and force
The boy left the theater like a bat out of hell.




484

like a bolt out of the blue

- suddenly and without warning
It was like a bolt out of the blue when my father said that he was going to change
jobs.

like a bump on a log

- unresponsive
The boy spent the morning at home like a bump on a log.

like a fish out of water

- appear to be completely out of place somewhere
I was like a fish out of water when I went to the party with my cousin.

like a house on fire

- rapidly and with force
We worked like a house on fire in order to finish our work before our vacation.

like a sitting duck

- unsuspecting and unaware
The robber was like a sitting duck when the police arrested him as he waited for his
partner to leave the bank.

like a three-ring circus

- chaotic/exciting/busy

The shopping center was like a three-ring circus when we went shopping on Saturday
afternoon.






485

like a ton of bricks

- strongly or forcefully, a surprise to someone
The news of his retirement hit me like a ton of bricks.

like an open book

- someone or something that is easy to understand
Our boss is like an open book and it is easy to know what he is thinking most of the
time.

like crazy

- very fast, with great energy
They were running like crazy but still they couldn`t catch their friend.

like father, like son

- a son usually acts like his father
"Like father, like son," the man said as he watched the boy playing baseball exactly

like his father.

like greased lightning

- very fast
The horse ran out of the barn and down the road like greased lightning.

like hell

- with much effort and energy, never, not permissable
I had to run like hell this morning in order to catch the bus for work.
"Like hell I am going to lend that woman any more money."






486

like it or lump it

- either accept something or forget it
I offered the woman a fair price for the TV and told her that she could either like it or
lump it.

Like it's such a big deal!

- It really isn't so important
"Like it's such a big deal!", the boy said when he told his friend about his lost book.

like lambs to the slaughter

- quietly do something without realizing the danger/difficulties of the situation
The local basketball team went like lambs to the slaughter to meet the best team in the
country.

like looking for a needle in a haystack

- engaged in a hopeless search
Looking for my house keys at the beach was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

like mad

- very fast, with great energy
I worked like mad but I was unable to finish the project by noon as I had hoped.

like nothing on earth

- very unusual
The performance by our neighbor was like nothing on earth and surprised everyone
who saw it.






487

like one of the family

- as if someone were a member of one's family
My sister's friend is like one of the family and we invite her to come with us wherever
we go.

like/love to hear oneself talk

- enjoy talking rather than listening to other people
My friend likes to hear herself talk and it is very tiring to be around her.

like two peas in a pod

- very close or intimate
My two friends from school are like two peas in a pod and are always together.

like water off a duck`s back

- without effect, without changing one`s feelings or opinion
He always criticizes his friend but his friend ignores it so the criticism falls away like
water off a duck`s back.

the likes of (someone)

- anyone like the person who you are talking about
I really don't enjoy spending time with the likes of my neighbor.

488

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line of least resistance

- a course of action that will cause the least trouble or effort
It was the line of least resistance so we moved out of our apartment quickly rather
than have problems with the manager that we could never resolve.

line one's own pockets

- make money for oneself in a dishonest way
The local politician had been lining his own pockets and did not win another election.

line up

- take places in a line or formation, stand one behind another

We were forced to line up in front of the movie theater for over one hour.

line up (someone with someone)

- supply a person with a date/companion
We tried to line up my friend's sister with our friend but it was not a successful match.

line up (someone for something)

- arrange, schedule someone for something
We were unable to line up a speaker for Sunday evening so we must cancel the
meeting.

line up (something with something)

- adjust two things correctly
The carpenter lined up the two pieces of wood before he nailed them together.


489

lion's share (of something)

- the larger share of something
I gave the lion's share of my old CD collection to my neighbor.

lip service

- support shown by words only and not by action
They paid lip service to the proposal but I don`t think that they really support it.

listen to reason

- yield to a reasonable argument
The woman would not listen to reason when she went to complain about the coat that
she had bought.

litmus test

- a test that tries to determine the state of one important question
The judge's opinion about the tax issue was the litmus test that was used to see if he
would be able to work with the government.

a little bird told me

- learned from a mysterious or secret source
A little bird told me that I would be getting a nice present from my boyfriend next
week.

a little bit

- a small amount
I only had a little bit of time so I didn't talk to my mother about her recent problems.






490

little by little

- gradually
He broke his leg while skiing but little by little it is getting better.

a little frog in a big pond

- an unimportant person in a large group or organization
He transferred to the head office but he is a little frog in a big pond and nobody knows
him now.

little pitchers have big ears

- little children often overhear things that they are not supposed to hear
"Little pitchers have big ears," the woman said when she saw her daughter standing at
the door listening as she talked to her husband.

live a life of (something)

- have a life of a certain quality or style
My friend has been living a life of luxury since he won much money in the lottery.

live and learn

- increase one's knowledge by experience
I will have to live and learn and try not to eat so much food that I almost get sick.

live and let live

- not interfere with other people's business or preferences
Our neighbor believes that one should live and let live and she never complains or
criticizes other people who live around her.