Commonly-Used Idioms, Sayings and phrasal verbs - "V-Z" Idioms potx

V
vanish into thin air
- disappear without leaving a trace
The university student vanished into thin air and was never seen again.

variety is the spice of life
- life is made more interesting by doing new or different things
My grandmother believed that variety is the spice of life and is always starting new
projects.

vent one's spleen
- get rid of one's angry feelings
I was able to vent my spleen at the manager of our apartment for the problems that
she was causing.

verge on (something)
- come close or approach something
The accident verged on becoming a major disaster but luckily it was not.

very last
- the end of something
We were able to buy the very last tickets to the concert.

very thing
- the exact thing that is required
The new sofa was the very thing that we needed to make our house comfortable.

very well
- agreed, all right
"Very well, if you want me to go I will go with you."

957




vicious circle
- unbroken sequence of cause and effect with bad results
He had fallen into a vicious circle of drinking too much and then losing his job and
then drinking even more.

vim and vigor
- energy and enthusiasm
Our great aunt is always full of vim and vigor when we see her.

vote down
- defeat in a vote
The proposal to extend the opening hours of nightclubs was voted down in the
election.

vote of confidence
- a vote to see if a person or political party still has the majority's support
The government received a vote of confidence when everyone supported their new
proposal.

vote of thanks
- a speech expressing appreciation and thanks to a speaker or organizer
The speaker received a vote of thanks from the audience.

vote with one's feet
- show that you don't like something by leaving

Many of the citizens voted with their feet and began to move to another city.

958




W
wade into
- attack, join in
The football player waded into the fight to help his teammate.

wait-and-see attitude
- an uncertain attitude where you wait and see what will happen
We decided to take a wait-and-see attitude regarding what our new boss was going to
do.

wait on (someone) hand and foot
- serve someone in every possible way, do everything for someone
He always waits on his wife hand and foot.

wait tables
- serve food (in a restaurant etc.)
He spent the summer waiting tables at the resort.

wait up (for someone)
- not go to bed until someone arrives or something happens
The woman always waits up for her daughter to come home.

wait with bated breath

- feel excited or anxious while waiting
I waited with bated breath for the results of my exams.

waiting in the wings
- ready to do something such as take over someone's job
The vice-president was waiting in the wings to help the president.

959




wake the dead
- be very loud and able to wake even those who have died
Our neighbors told us that our stereo was so loud that it would wake the dead.

walk Idioms
walk a tightrope
- be in a situation where you must be very cautious
The Prime Minister is walking a tightrope regarding the international trade deal.

walk all over (an opponent)
- win a game easily
They walked all over the other team at the soccer tournament.

walk all over (someone)
- treat someone badly
He tried to walk all over me when I began working but after I became used to the job
he stopped.

walk away/off with (something)
- take and go away with something, steal
Somebody walked away with the computer from the library last night.

walk of life
- social rank, occupation
People from every walk of life came to the concert in the park.

walk on air
- feel happy and excited
She has been walking on air since she heard that she passed her exams.

960




walk out
- go on strike
More than half of the workers at the factory decided to walk out on strike this
morning.

walk out of (something)
- leave suddenly
Three people walked out of the meeting yesterday.

walk the floor
- walk back and forth across the floor
He spent the night walking the hospital floor while waiting for his wife to have a
baby.

walk the plank
- be forced to resign from a job
The vice-president was forced to walk the plank when the new president joined the
company.

walk the plank
- be forced by pirates to walk a long plank from the ship out over the water to your
death
The pirates captured the small ship and forced the captain to walk the plank.

walking papers
- a statement saying that one is fired from his or her job
He was given his walking papers from his company last week.

waltz off with (something)
- to take, get or win easily
My favorite team waltzed off with the championship last night.

961




want for nothing
- have everything one needs or wishes
My sister and her husband both have good jobs and they want for nothing.

warm one`s blood/heart
- make one feel warm or excited

The sight of the small boy helping the old woman warmed the heart of the people on
the street.

warm the bench
- sit on a bench and not play during a game
The young player spent most of the game warming the bench.

warm the cockles of one's heart
- make someone feel warm and happy
Her care and attention when I was sick warmed the cockles of my heart.

warm up
- get ready for a game or other event with exercise or practice
We spent two hours warming up for the game on Saturday.

warm up to (someone or something)
- become friendly or interested (in someone or something)
His wife finally warmed up to the idea of going to Italy for a holiday.

warts and all
- including one's bad points
He likes to be able to relax, warts and all, with his friends.

wash one's dirty linen in public
- talk about private or embarassing matters in public
The man began to wash his best friend's dirty linen in public after he became angry.

962

wash one`s hands of (someone or something)
- abandon, refuse responsibility for (someone or something)
He washed his hands of the problem after the others refused to deal with it.

washed up
- no longer successful or needed
The boxer was all washed up and had to retire last year.

waste one`s breath
- speak pointlessly without the desired results
He is very stubborn and you are wasting your breath to argue with him.

Watch it!
- be careful (usually used as a command)
"Watch it! That truck is going very fast and may hit you."

watch one`s P`s and Q`s
- be well-behaved, be careful
The boy was told to watch his P`s and Q`s by his teacher after he caused many
problems at school.

watch one's step
- act cautiously so you don't make a mistake or anger someone
You should watch your step when you complain to the manager.

watch out for (someone or something)
- watch over and care for someone, watch for the arrival or approach of someone
Please watch out for my friend when you go downtown.

watch over (someone or something)
- monitor or guard (someone or something)
I watched over the class while the teacher went to a meeting.

963




watch (someone or something) like a hawk
- watch very carefully
The mother always watches her daughter like a hawk when they go to the park.

water down
- make weak, dilute
The new policy was a watered down version of the old one.

water under the bridge
- something that happened in the past and can`t be changed
It was terrible that your house was robbed but it is water under the bridge now and
you must move forward.

wax and wane
- increase and decrease (like the moon)
The boy's interest in soccer is always waxing and waning.

way the wind blows
- direction something may go, what may happen
We will have to see which way the wind blows with our plans to go to London or not.

ways and means
- the raising of money to pay for something
The woman doesn't have the ways and means to give her children a good education.

wear Idioms
wear and tear
- damage as a result of ordinary use
They put a lot of wear and tear on their car during their long holiday.

964




wear down
- make something become less useful or smaller or weaker by wearing or aging
Little by little the water wore down the beach at the edge of the river.

wear down
- exhaust or tire someone out
He was worn down from the many questions in the meeting.

wear more than one hat
- have more than one set of responsibilities
Our teacher wears more than one hat and is the head of the school board as well as the
coach of the swim team.

wear off/away
- remove or disappear little by little by use, time or weather

The name on the front of my passport wore off from using it too much.

wear on (someone)
- anger or annoy (someone)
His constant complaining is beginning to wear on me.

wear one`s heart on one`s sleeve
- show one`s feelings openly
He was wearing his heart on his sleeve after the meeting with his boss.

wear out
- use or wear something until it becomes useless
My shoes wore out during my trip to Paris.

wear out one`s welcome
- visit someone too long or come back too often so that one is not welcome anymore
My friend has worn out his welcome at our house because he always visits without
calling first.
965




wear the pants in a family
- be the boss in a family
She is very strong and is the one who wears the pants in her family.

wear thin
- become thin from use or the passing of time
The silver dollar began to wear thin after it was in use for many years.

wear thin
- grow less interesting or believable
His excuses began to wear thin after he kept using them again and again.

weasel out of (something)
- decide not to do something in a sneaky way
My friend weaseled out of helping us clean up the yard.

weather permitting
- if the weather allows
Weather permitting, we will go to the lake on Saturday.

weave in and out (of something)
- move, drive, or walk in and out of something such as traffic
The man was driving very fast and was weaving in and out of the traffic.

weed out (someone or something)
- remove what is unwanted, get rid of
I spent the morning weeding out the clothes that I don't wear anymore.

week in, week out
- week after week
Week in, week out the man takes his children to the lake to swim.

966

weigh down on (someone)
- something worries or depresses someone
The man's problems at work seem to be weighing down on him.

weigh on/upon (someone)
- to be a weight or pressure on someone or something, to worry or upset someone
The pressure of her exams has begun to weigh upon my sister.

weigh on/upon (someone's) mind
- to be a weight or pressure on someone or something, to worry or upset someone
My mother's illness was weighing on my mind.

weigh one`s words
- be careful of what one says
You should weigh your words carefully before you tell your boss what you want.

welcome to do something
- be free to do something
The apartment manager said we were welcome to park our car anywhere.

well and good
- good, satisfactory
It is well and good that he will go and talk to his supervisor about the problem.

well-heeled
- rich
He seems rather well-heeled and is always wearing expensive clothes and driving a
nice car.

967

well-off
- wealthy
Her parents are quite well-off and don`t need to worry about money during their
retirement.

well-to-do
- have lots of money
He comes from a rather well-to-do family.

well up in years
- old
My father is well up in years but he is very healthy.

wet behind the ears
- inexperienced, immature
He is a little wet behind the ears and doesn`t know much about his job yet.

wet blanket
- person who discourages others from having fun
He is a wet blanket so we never invite him to our parties.

wet one`s whistle
- have a drink (especially alcohol)
They decided to stop at a bar on their way home from work to wet their whistle.

968

what Idioms
what about
- about or concerning something
I know that he wants to borrow my tent but what about my sleeping bag.

What are you driving at?
- What do you mean?
I really didn't understand what my friend was driving at.

What can I say?
- I am at a loss for words
"What can I say? I made a mistake and I'm sorry."

What have you been up to?
- What have you been doing?
"What have you been up to?", I asked my sister when I saw her.

(have) what it takes
- (have) ability for a job, (have) courage
He really has what it takes to be a success at his job.

what makes (someone) tick
- what motivates or makes someone behave in a certain way
I really don't know what makes that woman tick. She is very strange.

What one doesn't know won't hurt one.

- something that you don't know won't worry or harm you
What she doesn't know won't hurt her and we don't need to tell her about the broken
dishes.

969




what with
- because, as a result of
We wanted to go away for a holiday but what with moving to a new house we are too
busy to go anywhere.

What`s cooking?
- What is happening?, What is wrong?
"What`s cooking ", he asked his friend.

What's done is done.
- something is final and in the past
What's done is done and now that he has quit his job he must find a new one.

What's keeping you?
- What is taking you so long?
"What's keeping you?", the man asked his wife as he waited to go out.

What's new?
- What have you been doing?
"What's new?", I asked my friend after I hadn't seen him for three months.

What`s the big idea?
- Why did you do that?, What are you doing?
"What`s the big idea? Why are you using my bicycle?"

What`s up?
- What is happening?, What is wrong?
"What`s up ", he said as he entered the room.

what`s (up) with (someone)
- what is happening/wrong, how is everything
"What`s up with the new supervisor? He seems very angry this morning."

970




what`s what
- distinguish one thing from another
It is hard to tell what`s what at an auction of old furniture.

Whatever will be, will be.
- things will just happen and there is little that we can do about it
Whatever will be will be and it is not possible to predict what will happen in the
future.

wheel and deal
- take part in political or business dealing
There was a lot of wheeling and dealing going on before they built the new
convention center.

when Idioms
when hell freezes over
- never
The man said that he would come to the office party when hell freezes over.

when it comes right down to it
- when one really thinks about something
When it comes right down to it, I don't think that you should quit your job.

when it comes to (something)
- speaking about something
When it comes to sports, my friend is a very knowledgeable person.

when least expected
- when one does not expect something
When least expected the secretary always asks for time off from work.

971




when one is good and ready
- when one is completely ready
I decided not to go and see the supervisor until I was good and ready.

when push comes to shove
- when a situation becomes more difficult
When push comes to shove my friend's daughter is always able to find a job.

when the chips are down
- at the final and critical moment, when things really get difficult
When the chips are down he will always come and help his friends.

when the going gets tough (the tough get going)
- when things become difficult, strong people begin to work harder
When the going gets tough our teacher is always there to support and help us.

when the time is ripe
- at exactly the right time
When the time was ripe we decided to sell our house.

where one is coming from
- one's point of view
I don't understand where the man was coming from when he began to complain about
the noise.

whet someone's appetite
- interest someone in something and make them want to have or know more about it
The presentation by the mountain climber began to whet my appetite for more
outdoors activities.

while away the time
- spend or waste time pleasantly
We spent the afternoon whiling away the time by the river.
972

whip up
- make active, stir to action
The union leader whipped up the crowd with his speech.

whip up (something)
- make or do something quickly or easily
It was very late when we got home so we whipped up something to eat very quickly.

whistle a different tune
- change one`s attitude, contradict previous ideas
He is whistling a different tune now that he has been promoted and has more
responsibility at his job.

whistle in the dark
- try to stay brave and forget one`s fear
Although he felt very frightened he began to whistle in the dark which helped to calm
him down.

white elephant
- a useless possession that is a nuisance or expensive to keep
They are having a white elephant sale at the school next week.

white elephant
- a waste of money
The new airport was a white elephant which nobody liked to use.

white lie
- a harmless lie often told to be polite
I told the woman a white lie when I said that I would be too busy to meet her.

white sale
- selling towels, linens, etc. at reduced prices
We went to the white sale at the department store last Saturday.
973




whole ball of wax/shooting match
- the whole thing or matter
I want to finish the redecorating project and be finished with the whole ball of wax.

whole new ball game
- a new set of circumstances
The situation became a whole new ball game when the owners decided to sell the
team.

whole show
- everything
Our new boss always tries to run the whole show.

whoop it up
- enjoy oneself in a lively and noisy manner
The fans were whooping it up after they won the basketball game.

wide of the mark
- far from the target, incorrect
His ideas for the company are wide of the mark from what everybody expected.

wild about (someone or something)
- enthusiastic about someone or something
The boys were wild about the new movie.

wild goose chase
- absurd or hopeless search
The man led the police on a wild goose chase when he ran away from them
downtown.

974




wildcat strike
- a strike not ordered by a labor union but done without planning by a group of
workers
There was a wildcat strike at the factory last night.

will not hear of (something)
- will not allow or consider something
My aunt said that she will not hear of us staying at a hotel when we come to visit her.

will power
- strength of mind
He has very strong will power and was able to quit smoking easily.

win by a nose
- win by a small amount
The candidate won by a nose so they had to count the votes again.

win out (over someone or something)
- be victorious or successful after hard work or difficulty
We finally won out over our boss and he agreed to listen to our complaints.

win (someone) over
- gain the support and sympathy of someone
We finally won the apartment manager over and she will let us have a pet in our
apartment.

wind down
- decrease or diminish
At the end of the summer all of the shops at the beach resort began to wind down their
business.

975




wind up
- end, finish, settle
Let`s wind things up now and then we can all go home.

wind up
- tighten the spring of a machine to make it work
Every night before he goes to bed my grandfather winds up his alarm clock.

wind up
- make very excited, nervous or upset

I was really wound up yesterday after work and I couldn`t get to sleep easily.

wing it
- act without preparation
He wasn`t prepared for the examination so he had to wing it.

wink at (something)
- allow and pretend not to know about something (a law or rule being broken)
The school librarian sometimes winks at the rule about borrowing a maximum of
three books.

winning streak
- a series of several wins one after the other
Our baseball team has been on a winning streak for several weeks now.

wipe off (something)
- to remove something by wiping or rubbing, to clean the surface of something
We always wipe off the table before we have dinner.

976




wipe out
- remove, kill or destroy completely
The city spends a lot of money every year trying to wipe out the rats near the river.

wipe-out
- a disaster, a calamity

My exams were a total wipe-out. I think that I failed all of them.

wipe (someone's) slate clean
- erase someone's (bad) record
The man had a bad performance record at work but he was able to wipe his slate clean
and start over.

wipe the floor with (someone)
- physically beat someone
The ex-boxer wiped the floor with the man who insulted him.

wise guy
- a person who acts as if he were smarter than other people
He always acts like a wise guy when he is in a big group.

wise up to
- begin to understand the truth about someone or something
He finally wised up to the fact that he was never going to get a promotion in his
company.

wisecrack
- sarcastic or witty remark
She made a funny wisecrack during the speech which caused the audience to start
laughing.

977

wishful thinking
- believe that something is true because you wish it to be true
The manager planned to evict the family with the young child and it was wishful
thinking to think that he wouldn't.

wishy-washy
- unable to decide, have no definite opinion
He is very wishy-washy and can never make up his mind about what he wants to do.

with Idioms
with a heavy heart
- sadly
It was with a heavy heart that the citizens of the small country said goodbye to their
dead president.

with a vengeance
- with determination and eagerness
The basketball team came out with a vengeance after the break and won the game
easily.

with all one's heart and soul
- very sincerely
With all his heart and soul, the young man wished his friend good luck on his new
adventure.

with all the fixings
- all the extra things that come with some meals
We ordered the meal with all the fixings.

978

with an eye/view to (doing something)
- with the intention of doing something
We bought the small truck with an eye to using it for our home business.

with each passing day
- after each day
With each passing day the price of gasoline was increasing.

with ease
- without effort
We were able to find a parking spot with ease before the game.

with everything (on it)
- a sandwich or hamburger ordered with everything available on it
We ordered a hamburger with everything on it.

with flying colors
- with great or total success
I was able to pass my final exams with flying colors.

with hat in hand
- with humility
The man came to his boss with hat in hand to ask for a raise in pay.

with impunity
- without risk of punishment

The young boy was able to do anything that he wanted with impunity.

979




with it
- alert and knowledgeable
My grandmother was not really with it just before she passed away.

with no strings attached
- with no obligations attached
I was given the car to use with no strings attached.

with one/both hand(s) tied behind one's back
- easily
I can look after the computer system with both hands tied behind my back.

with one's tail between one's legs
- appearing frightened or cowardly (like a frightened dog)
The man left the store with his tail between his legs after he had been accused of
trying to steal something.

with open arms
- greet someone warmly or eagerly
My aunt and uncle were at the airport to greet us with open arms.

with relish
- with pleasure or enjoyment

I began my new job and started doing my work with relish.

with respect to (something)
- referring to something, concerning something
I do not know what the company will do with respect to the old computer system.

980




with the best of them
- as well as anyone
He can play soccer with the best of them when he makes the effort.

within a stone's throw of something
- very close (to something)
We could not find the house even though I knew we were within a stone's throw of it.

within an inch of one`s life
- almost dead
The elderly man was beaten to within an inch of his life.

within calling distance
- close enough to hear someone call
We were within calling distance of the men in the boat.

within reason
- sensible, reasonable
Within reason, you should be able to take as much time off from work as you want in

order to go to school.

without batting an eye
- casually
The criminal kept changing his story without batting an eye.

without fail
- absolutely, for certain
The postman came at noon everyday without fail.

without further ado
- without further talk
Without further ado they ended the meeting and began to serve coffee.

981