A-F

G-M

N-SI

SK-Z

Back to Exercises

to do much more than is required; also has a military usage: above and beyond the call of duty.  (to work much harder than is expected, or to take risks you haven't been ordered to take)

• Jamie's dedication to helping his horse get well is above and beyond the norm. He even sleeps with him!

all or nothing

everything or nothing at all

• When he proposed marriage, I told him we could be just friends. But he wanted all, or nothing.

backwards and forwards; blindfolded; in my sleep (your/his/her/their/our)

to know something so well that you could use it/do it from the beginning to the end, or starting at the end, and going toward the beginning.  To be able to perform a complicated task while blindfolded, or asleep. Remember---these are idioms! They're not meant to be understood in the literal or usual sense of the words.

• Edgar knows his computer backwards and forwards.

• He could reformat his PC, blindfolded.

• His wife could re-install the software in her sleep. (while sleeping)

bar and grill

• Harry's bar and grill was the best place in town to buy a steak dinner.

black and blue

a bruise on the skin; the colors may be green and yellow, too, but we don't say that; we call it "black and blue"

• Annie's arm turned black and blue where she had bumped it. (Also can be said, "She got a black and blue mark where...")

body and soul

entirely

• I'm yours, body and soul.

keep body and soul together

have the basic necessities

• I earn so little money, that I can barely keep body and soul together.

bound and determined

VERY determined, using a lot of effort and energy

• Helga is bound and determined to be an English teacher.

 bread and butter (my/her/their, etc.)

one's principal income/job

• Digging ditches is his bread and butter. (how he earns money; what his job is)

• Teaching at school is my bread and butter, and I also give a few students private lessons on  weekends.

Of course, the words 'bread' and 'butter' also have the usual meaning, when used separately:  "Please don't forget to buy butter and a loaf of bread when you're at the store."

bread and butter letter

a thank-you note you send after you visit someone's home to either eat a meal,

or have a longer visit, i.e., one day to two weeks .

• Susan went to a dinner party last week, and still hasn't written a bread and butter letter.

bacon and eggs (ham and eggs, sausage and eggs, etc.), beer and pretzels, cheese and crackers, coffee and doughnuts, cream and sugar, fries and a shake (means French fries and a milkshake), potatoes and gravy, biscuits and gravy, wine and cheese (there are many more)

Food items. These words are said or written in the exact order you see here. You would not say "I'd like to have an order of  eggs and bacon."  BUT: If you were in a restaurant and you wanted to order bacon and eggs but you didn't want them on the same plate, you'd say something like this: "I'll have an order of scrambled eggs, with bacon on the side." (or---with a side order of bacon)

"Your order sir?"  " I'll have bacon and  eggs."

cash and carry

pay with paper money, not credit, and take the items with you, not have them delivered.

• This is a cash-and-carry sale. No credit cards are accepted.

come and gone

already arrived and already left

• Sorry pal. The last bus has already come and gone.

coming or going

to feel overwhelmed with duties

• Tony has had too much to do at work. He told me that he doesn't know if he's coming or going.

crash and burn

     to fail in a big way, or to feel overwhelmingly depressed; (also, to literally crash and burn, as can happen with a car,  plane, train, spacecraft)

• Last night, Paul really crashed and burned after his very unpleasant date with Mimi.

cut and paste

to cut something out with scissors (usually from paper) and paste (glue) it to something else.

• Three-year-old Tessa made a picture for her mommy by cutting and pasting.

A simple, unimportant/boring/childish job

• I hate to spend my day at work just doing cut and paste!

to highlight, click and drag some text or graphic on a computer screen and insert it into a document, or another computer screen. 

• If you want to send me that file, just cut and paste it into an e-mail.

dark and stormy

This has been used so much that it's a cliché. Literally, it means that the weather on a certain night was dark and stormy. A well-known expression said by the Snoopy character in the Peanuts comic strip.

• It was a dark and stormy night when the butler disappeared.

It can also mean an angry facial expression.

• She gave him a dark and stormy look when he said her cooking was bad.

divide and conquer

to separate the "enemy" into smaller groups, then overcome them; to make some group of people (or even just two people) less powerful by splitting them up/separating them from each other, in order to win a battle of some kind, or to achieve a certain goal.

• The police decided to divide and conquer the rioters.

• To get a raise at work, I think I should talk to each of my bosses separately, instead of having a joint meeting. Divide and conquer!

down and dirty

unfair, nasty, tricky; can also refer to music or dancing that's playful in a seductive way

• Politicians often play down and dirty during a campaign.

down and out

having no money or resources

• Jonathan's down and out after losing almost all of his money at the horse races.

to eat at someone's house, and then leave immediately without helping clean the kitchen or staying to visit; (Don't change the order or the tense by saying something like "He ate and ran after I gave him a beautiful dinner." Say the expression exactly how it's  shown to you here:

• Instead of helping me clean up, he just said, "Sorry to eat and run! Christine's waiting to go to the movies with me."

fat and happy/fat and sassy

well-taken care of, content, full of life

• Clark must like his new job. He's looking pretty fat and sassy.

fish or cut bait

either do what you are supposed to, or stop to let someone else finish the task you're doing; or a phrase telling someone to stop taking so long to make a decision.

• Bonnie was tired of her husband promising her a vacation in Hawaii, and never doing it. "Either fish, or cut bait!", she told him.

forgive and forget

to forgive someone who does something that hurts you and to try to forget it ever happened

• I'm sorry we had an argument. Can we forgive and forget and be friends again?

  free and easy; laid-back

  casual, relaxed manner of being

• When trouble hits, just take it free and easy.

• She has a laid-back kind of personality. (Very little bothers her---she rarely gets upset)

give and take

willing to compromise, flexible attitude

• If people could learn to give and take, there would be fewer wars.

good and ready

When you are finally ready and willing (to do something, or to help someone)

• Marty said he would wash the car when he was good and ready, and not a minute before!

grin and bear it

to put up with something unpleasant or unwanted and keep your good humor

• My mother-in-law is coming to visit for a month. I'll just have to grin and bear it.

hard and fast

strict or rigid, usually said about rules and regulations

• The company was nice to work for, but they had a hard and fast rule against coming in late.

head-over- heels

usually said when describing someone who has just fallen in love

• Romeo and Juliet were head-over-heels in love.  

heart and soul

at the very center (core) of something

• The heart and soul of the matter is lack of money.

 the principal reason; completely committed

• Jenny loves her husband heart and soul.

come hell or high water

no matter what happens

• Luke promised to be here, come hell or high water.

 hide nor hair

no sign of, can't find someone or something

• We looked all over, but couldn't find hide nor hair of the dog.

hot and humid

hot weather with a high percentage of humidity in the air

•  I can't stand to be outside when it's so hot and humid.

intents and purposes

virtually

• The class was so unresponsive, that for all intents and purposes, the teacher may/might as well have been talking to the wall.

Jekyll and Hyde; split personality

two separate good and evil personalities in one person

(Robert Louis Stevenson wrote the book "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.)

• When he gets angry, he's a real Jekyll and Hyde.  (suddenly changes from being very pleasant, to being a very angry person)

kiss and tell

to do or to take part in something secret, & then to tell everyone about it (also to kiss or make love with someone, and then brag about it)

• Watch out for Joe! He's a kiss-and-tell type of guy.

the whole kit and caboodle

everything, everyone, the whole amount

• I left the room to answer the 'phone, and the dog ate the pizza---the whole kit and caboodle. (He ate all of it, and didn't leave even a little bit)

knife and fork; knife, fork, and spoon

eating utensils, said in that order

• This food looks great! May I have a knife and fork?

last but not least

last in the order of something, but not in importance

• "Last but not least, I want to introduce Lord Byron." (last person being introduced, but no less important than the people who were introduced before him)

law and order

following the law or rules, no disquiet or crime

• The new governor promised law and order in the state during his term of office.

live and learn

learn by experience

• Aunt Tilly forgot to put oil in the car and ruined the engine. "Well, you live and learn.", she remarked. (meaning, every day we learn something new we hadn't known before.)

lock and key

only this word order

• I need a new lock and key for the front door.

love and marriage

only this word order

• "Love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage." are lyrics from a popular song.

make or break

improve or ruin someone or something; have success, or suffer failure

• Hard times can either make or break a person. (Having problems in life either makes you a stronger person, or destroys you.)

meat and potatoes

basic food, not spicy or exotic. (also literally the foods meat, potatoes)

• I don't care for (don't like) gourmet cooking. I'm a meat-and- potatoes kind of person.

meek and mild

quiet, unassuming, shy, not assertive

• My guard dog is a failure because he is too meek and mild to bark.

more or less

not definite; agreeable but unenthusiastic; "so-so"; kind of...

• Yes, I guess she's an honest person, more or less.

name and address

only this word order

• May I have your name and address for our files? (We would not say 'address and name'.)

new and improved

only this word order

• They said this soap was new and improved, but I doubt it.

now and again; now and then

once in a while

• Now and then, Jason likes to smoke a cigar after dinner.

now or never

right now, or very soon something won't be available

• If you want some cake, it's now or never. (eat it now, or everyone else will finish the cake)

the need to make an immediate decision

• If I don't accept that job today, it will be filled by someone else tomorrow. I guess it's now, or never. (I have to say "yes" immediately, if I want that job.)

odds and ends

miscellaneous bits and pieces that don't have a  category

• Rose has a kitchen drawer full of odds and ends. (We also call that "a junk drawer". all unrelated items...)

once and for all

definitely/finally, right now and for all time (forever)

• Once and for all, stop teasing the cat!

pen and ink/pen and pencil/pencil and paper

only this word order

• I need a pencil and paper in order to take notes in class today.

pick and choose

to be selective

• Darren's marks were the highest in the class. He can pick and choose which university he wants to attend.

postage and handling/shipping and handling

the cost of sending a package to someone

• The book was priced reasonably, but the shipping and handling was outrageously expensive.

pride and joy

something one is very proud of

• Duane's new car was his pride and joy.

question and answer

only this word order

• There will be a question and answer period after the lecture.

rain or shine

no matter what happens

• You can depend on me, come rain or shine.

read and write

only this word order

• Most children learn to read and write by age seven.

ready and able/ready, willing, and able

capable of doing something and ready to start

• These men are ready and able to build your barn.

rhyme or reason

no purpose or reason

• There is no rhyme or reason to insulting Hattie. (To insult her makes no sense to me.)

right and wrong/right or wrong

only this word order

•  Every child needs to be taught the difference between right and wrong.

room and board

the cost of food and shelter

• Ever since Kent started working, his parents have asked him to pay room and board. (cost of renting his bedroom, and the cost of the food he eats)

safe and sound

 safe; out of danger

• The cat was hiding under the bed, safe and sound.

sand and sea

only this word order

• Fanny loved the smells and sights of the sand and sea.

savings and loan

only this word order (a type of financial institution)

• Robert lost all of his money in the savings and loan scandals during the 1980s.

shape up or ship out

improve or quit

• I'm warning you Johnson. Your work performance stinks! (is super-bad!)  Shape up or ship out.

short & fat/short & sassy/short & stout

only this word order; literal meaning

• Your little boy sure is short and sassy, isn't he? 

•  Aunt Tilly is short and stout, but she can run like a deer.

short and sweet

To the point, using very few words

• I'm telling you short and sweet: leave me alone!

sink or swim

fail or succeed

• Jack is on his own with this project--sink or swim.

skin and bones

extremely thin, skinny

• Abe should eat more. He's nothing but skin and bones.

slim and trim

at the right weight and in good physical shape

• Barry works out (exercises) to stay slim and trim.

slow(ly) and sure(ly), slow but sure

without rushing, carefully and deliberately

• Slow but sure, the crocodile hunter moved along the river bank.

sooner or later

eventually, at some undetermined time

• The rains will come, sooner or later.

straight and narrow

       law abiding, behaving well, not getting into any trouble

• After serving one term in prison, Rocky wanted to stay on the straight and narrow.

sweet and low

quiet, peaceful, soft volume, relaxing (refers to music or a person's voice)

• "That cannot be grandma's voice", thought Little Red Riding Hood, "because her voice is sweet and low".

then and there

(only this word order) exactly at that moment

• The police officer arrested Bert right then and there.

time and space

only this word order

•     Mankind has yet to discover the mysteries of time and space.

thick and thin

through good or bad times

• Good friends stay together through thick and thin.

tooth and nail

to  work at achieving something with great determination--usually used referring to some sort of struggle/argument; to use all of your energy

• Darlene fought tooth and nail against the new parking laws.

up and down

only this word order

• The elevator had a short circuit and kept going up and down for three hours!

ups and downs

happy times/sad times (only this word order)

• To have a successful marriage, one has to accept life's ups and downs.

vim and vigor

energy (only this word order)

• Ever since she broke her leg playing soccer, Grandma hasn't had much vim and vigor.

wait and see

uncertain, cautious or skeptical attitude

• They didn't know if the snow was headed their way. They would just have to wait and see.

• The boss had a 'wait-and-see attitude' after she hired Jack to work on that complicated project.

weights and measures

only this word order

• Mr. Smith worked for the Department of Weights and Measures, checking the quality of rulers.

wine and dine

give someone a lavish meal; spend a lot of money on someone

• Mark thought if he wined and dined her, she would kiss him when he brought her home.

year in (and) year out

year after year, all the time

• Agnes wears the same boring jeans and t-shirts, year in and year out.