WOlCOMe
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L



Let sleeping dogs lie.: Don't cause problems by doing something when it isn't necessary.
"I know that what Julie said made you angry, but let sleeping dogs lie.
If you say or do anything, you'll only make things worse."
live from hand to mouth: survive on very little money; have only enough money
to pay for basic needs.
"Chuck and Alice are living from hand to mouth since Chuck lost his job."
live and let live: don't unnecessarily make things difficult;
do as you wish and let others do as they wish.
"I'm not going to criticize Alice's family just because their habits
are a little strange. My motto is 'Live and let live.'"
a low blow: a big disappointment.
A: "Fred seems depressed. Is he OK?"
B: "He's OK, but not good. It was a low blow for him to be laid off from his job."
lousy: terrible; very bad.
"Why did you speak so rudely to your grandmother? That was a lousy thing to do!"
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M





macho: super masculine / masculine to an extreme (in appearance and behavior).
"Her husband would never agree to help with the housework;
he's too macho to do that."
make a mountain out of a molehill: make something seem much more important than it really is.
"Calm down. There's really nothing to worry about.
You're making a mountain out of a molehill."
make up one's mind: decide what to do.
A: Where are you going on your vacation?
B: Maybe Canada, maybe Mexico. I can't make up my mind."


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N
No way!: Absolutely not! / Definitely not!
A: "You didn't open this letter addressed to me, did you?"
B: "No way! I'd never read look at else's mail!"
nosh: snack.
"There's plenty in the refrigerator if you want something to nosh on."
Not on your life!: Absolutely not! (a strong "no").
A: "Someone said you cheated on the test. Did you?"
B: "Not on your life!"
now and then: occasionally; from time to time.
A: "Do you see Jennifer often?"
B: "No, not really. I see her now and then, but not regularly."
nuke: heat in a microwave.
"If your coffee's cold, just nuke it for about a minute."
nuts: crazy.
A: "Stuart says some really strange things sometimes."
B: "Sometimes? All the time! He's nuts!"


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O



OK: (1) yes (to show agreement--often reluctant agreement).
A: "Come on, Al. We really need your help!"
B: "Oh, OK; I may be crazy, but I'll help you."
OK: (2) neither good nor bad; so-so.
A: "How was the movie?"
B: "OK, I guess, but I've seen better ones."
OK: (3) in satisfactory condition; well.
A: "You look awfully pale. Are you OK?"
B: "Actually, I'm not. I have a terrible headache. "
OK: (4) approve (verb).
A: "Did your boss OK your vacation plans?"
B: "No, but he said that taking them two weeks later would be all right.
on the dot: exactly at a given time.
"We're leaving at 9:00 on the dot. If you're late, we'll go without you."
on time: at the scheduled time.
"It's getting late. You'd better hurry if you want to get to work on time."
(on the) cutting edge: using the most recent technology.
"The university's computer lab is (on the) cutting edge. It has
all the latest hardware and software."
once in a while: occasionally; from time to time.
A: "Would you like coffee or tea?"
B: "Coffee, please. I drink tea once in a while, but I generally drink coffee."
over one's head: too difficult or complicated for someone to understand.
"This explanation of cgi scripting is over my head.
Can you explain it in a less technical way?"
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WOlCOMe
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s


-savvy: knowledgeable about ___ .
"If you're having problems with your hard disk, talk to Jim.
He's very computer-savvy. "
schmooze: make relaxed, casual conversation.
"No, we weren't talking about anything important.
We were just schmoozing."
shoot the breeze: make relaxed, casual conversation.
"No, we weren't talking about anything important.
We were just shooting the breeze."
sleep on it: take at least a day to think about something before making a decision.
"The job that you're offering me sounds really good, but I'd like
to sleep on it before giving you my final decision."
a snap: something that's very easy to do.
A: "Is your job difficult?"
B: "No, actually it's a snap. In fact, it's so easy that it's a little bit boring."
Someone's made his/her own bed; now let him/her lie in it.: Someone has caused
his/her own problems; he/she will have to solve them himself/herself.
A: Jim upset everyone when he got angry at the meeting. Can we do anything
to make the situation better?
B: No. He's made his own bed; now let him lie in it."
sooner or later: eventually.
"You've been working too hard for too long. If you don't relax a little,
sooner or later you're going to get sick."
sort of: rather; somewhat.
"I think I'll lie down. I feel sort of dizzy."
so-so: fair; not particularly good.
A: "How're you doing?"
B: "So-so. I've been better, but I've also been worse."
state of the art: using the latest technology.
"The company is very proud of the equipment in its
computer room. It's state of the art."
Step on it!: Hurry up!
"Step on it! The taxi will be here at any time and you're not even dressed!"


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T

take it easy: relax.
"I don't have any special vacation plans. I'm just going to take it easy."
tell a white lie: say something that isn't true in order not to hurt or offend someone.
"The cake that Susan made tasted terrible, but I knew that she
made it because she wanted to please me, so when she asked
if I liked it, I told a white lie and said it was good."
toss something: throw something away; put something in the trash.
"These shoes are worn out. I guess I'll have to toss them."
tough: difficult.
"Question number three is a tough one.Do you know the answer?"
There, there.: _expression of comfort.
"There, there. Everything's going to be OK."
tight-fisted: very frugal; unwilling to spend money unnecessarily.
A: Do you think Charlie will donate any money to the activities fund?
B: No way! He's too tight-fisted!
a tightwad: someone who is very frugal and unwilling to spend money unnecessarily.
A: Will Charlie donate any money to the activities fund?
B: Absolutely not! He's a real tightwad!"
tricky: easily confused or misunderstood.
"This problem is tricky. I don't really understand it."
two-faced: deceitful; disolyal; someone who pretends to be a friend but isn't.
"I thought he was my friend, but he's two-faced. He says nice things
to me when we're together, but makes jokes about me when we aren't.
under the weather: ill; sick; unwell.
"Ted was feeling under the weather yesterday, so he decided not to go to work."




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U


until hell freezes over: forever.
"Chris can practice the piano until hell freezes over, but he'll never play
well because he's tone-deaf."
Note: This _expression is used to describe something that will not
change, no matter how long or how often it's done.
until you're blue in the face: forever.
"You can talk until you're blue in the face, but I won't change my mind."
Note: This _expression is used in the same way as "until hell freezes over."
update: make current; add information to show what has happened recently.
"I need to update my résumé. It doesn't show what I've done during the last year."
upside down: with the bottom part on top and the top part on bottom.
"Put the glasses upside down in the dishwasher. If you don't do that,
they'll fill with water and you'll have to dry them by hand."
used to (+ V): an action that was true in the past but is not true now.
"Jane used to live in Austin, Texas. She lives in San Francisco now."

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W


Was my face red!: I was very embarrassed.
"When I got to the meeting I noticed that I was wearing one black sock
and one brown one. Was my face red!"
wear out one's welcome: make someone uncomfortable by visiting too long.
A: "Can't you stay two or three more days?"
B: "No. I don't want to wear out my welcome."
wet behind the ears: inexperienced and naive.
"Don't include Fred as part of the bargaining team.He's just started
working here and is still too wet behind the ears."
What for?: Why?
A: "Come here for a minute. I need you."
B: "What for?"
Note: "What" and "for" can be separated--with "for" at the end of the question:
B: "What do you need me for?"
What's up?: What's new? What's happening?
"Hi, Dave. What's up?"
a white lie: a lie that is told to avoid offending someone or hurting his / her feelings.
"The cake that Susan made tasted terrible, but I knew that
she made it because she wanted to please me, so when she
asked if I liked it, I told a white lie and said it was good."
wishy-washy: uncommitted; without an opinion of one's own.
"Don't be so wishy-washy. Tell us how you really feel."
with bells on: very eagerly; with the feeling that one will have a very good time.
A: "Are you going to Sandra's party?"
B: "I'll be there with bells on!"
would ('d) just as soon: would ('d) rather; prefer.
"I know we have a lot of work to do, but I'm tired. I'd just as soon leave
and finish tomorrow. Is that OK with you?"
a yes-man: someone who tries to get approval by agreeing with everyone.
A: "Why does the boss think Arnold is so intelligent?"
B: "Because Arnold is a yes-man. He agrees with everything the boss says!"

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Y


You don't say!: Really? / Is that really true?
A: "Have you heard the news? Jessica got married!"
B: "You don't say!"
You've got to be kidding!: You can't be serious! (What you said can't be true.
What you said is very surprising/hard to believe.) "
A: "Did you know that Bob quit his job?"
B: "You've got to be kidding!"
yucky: terrible; distasteful; very unpleasant.
"Don't eat the soup at the cafeteria. It's yucky!"
yummy: delicious.
"Have you tried the cookies that Jonathan baked? They're yummy!"
zilch: nothing.
A: "How much money do you have?"
B: "Zilch. I'm broke until payday."
Zip your lip!: keep something secret; promise not to tell what has just been said.

"What I told you is really important, so zip your lip!"



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