Idioms: Walk on Eggs

10 Idioms in 10 Minutes

• free and easy = relaxed, friendly. She knew that life wouldn't be so free and easy at work.
• in dribs and drabs = in small amounts or numbers. The public arrived in dribs and drabs.
• in leaps and bounds = very quickly. My English is improving in leaps and bounds.
• prim and proper = correct and very formal. She's a very prim and proper lady.
• ranting and raving = shouting in an angry way. Please stop ranting and raving and listen to me!
• skin and bone = extremely thin. She's really skin and bone, she doesn't need to go on a diet anymore.
• spick and span = completely clean and tidy. Her room is always spick and span.
• the length and breadth of some place = all over the place. Police searched the length and breadth of the town.
• thick and fast = happening very frequently, in large amounts. Letters for the contest arrived thick and fast.
• to be at somebody's beck and call = be ready to do what somebody wants. She got tired of being at his beck and call.
• to blow hot and cold = keep changing one's attitude towards something. Now he agrees but I'm sure that later he'll disagree; he always blows hot and cold.

Idioms!

• on and off = not all the time, at irregular intervals. It's been raining on and off all day, I hate this kind of weather.
• over and out = message used to end a radio communication. Understood. Over and out.
• sink or swim = be successful or fail. This a very difficult job, you have to be careful. It's really sink or swim.
• up and about = in good health. After the accident, he recovered very well, he's now up and about.
• wait and see = wait patiently. We don't know if this government will be able to put his plans into practice. We have to wait and see.
• by and by = soon, in a while from now. By and by they came to an enchanted place.
• chapter and verse = with a lot of details. The teacher gave them chapter and verse about where to find the information.
• cheap and cheerful = simple, not expensive and of reasonable quality. This is really a cheap and cheerful Greek restaurant.
• cloak-and-dagger = secret and mysterious. It was a cloak-and-dagger operation in which several spies were involved.
• down-and-out = having no money. He's a down-and-out actor now.

Idioms

• chapter and verse = with a lot of details. The teacher gave them chapter and verse about where to find the information.
• far and wide = everywhere. She tried far and wide to find the keys but she couldn't. She had to take a taxi instead.
• first and foremost = most important. First and foremost, I would like to thank you all for this welcome.
• forgive and forget = forget enmity. Let's be friends again, I'm sorry for what I've done, but you have to forgive and forget.
• free and easy = relaxed, friendly. She knew that life wouldn't be so free and easy at work.
• hit and miss = random. I don't know how to operate this machine, it's just a question of hit and miss for me!
• live and learn = become wiser. You trusted her and she deceived you. You live and learn, so don't get fooled again.
• in and out = entering and leaving a place. The boss has been in and out all day, to see if the employees were working.
• loud and clear = very clearly. Even though he was 400km away, I could hear him loud and clear on the telephone line.
• now and again = occasionally. They like to go to a concert now and again.

10 English Idioms in 10 Minutes

• hustle and bustle = hurried activity. I don't like living in the city centre, it's all hustle and bustle.
• ifs and buts = excuses. No ifs and buts, just finish your homework and then you can go to play with the computer.
• odds and ends = small things. I've almost finished this work, but there are still some odds and ends I have to deal with.
• part and parcel = part. All those information programmes on TV are part and parcel of a campaign to destabilize the new government.
• rack and ruin = in bad conditions. This is a nice neighbourhood, but it's a shame that these old buildings are going rack and ruin.
• stuff and nonsense = foolish things. Oh, no, he was not fired! That's all stuff and nonsense!
• touch and go = close to success and failure at the same time. After the accident, he's in a critical situation, the doctor said it's touch and go.
• ups and downs = good and bad moments. Don't panic, in a married couple there are always ups and downs.
• wear and tear = deterioration. Go change those clothes! Those can't stand any more wear and tear!
• by and large = in general. I guess the team played quite well, by and large.

10 Idioms in 10 Minutes

• safe and sound = unharmed. After being away for five months, we arrived home safe and sound.
• short and sweet = without unnecesary details. A long letter of complaint would be annoying, so when you write it, try to make it short and sweet.
• sick and tired = completely annoyed or tired of something/someone. I'm sick and tired of hearing about your trip to Russia.
• wine and dine = have a meal with wine at a restaurant. For our anniversary I think we could wine and dine at that new restaurant that opened last week.
• bag and baggage = with all your possessions. Mary got tired of living with her boyfriend so she decided to move, bag and baggage.
• bits and pieces = small things. I didn't hear everything he said, just some bits and pieces.
• body and soul = physical and mental energy. Jim loves learning a new language, he puts body and soul into it.
• bread and butter = way of earning money to live. Thomas doesn't have much money, he earns his bread and butter as a teacher.
• bricks and mortar = property, buildings. If you want to invest your money, I would advise you to put it into bricks and mortar.
• give and take = compromise. We can reach an agreement with a bit of give and take from both sides.

10 Idioms in 10 Minutes

• alive and kicking = in good health and active. I got a letter from Ronald, he's alive and kicking, working for an insurance company.
• born and bred = born and educated. Helen was born and bred in London, that's why she always carries an umbrella.
• bright and early = very early in the morning. We have to leave bright and early if we want to arrive there by 10.
• cut and dried = final, decided (plans). Our plan is cut and dried: first we are going to the cinema, and then to the restaurant.
• fair and square = in a fair way. We will pay for our part, let's make it fair and square.
• high and dry = without any help. She was left high and dry, but she managed to get on with her life.
• home and dry = sure of success. If you study a lot, you will be home and dry for the final exam.
• on and on = without stopping. I've been cleaning the house all morning, and I still have to go on and on to finish.
• rough and ready = not exact. I don't understand much about grammar but I can give you a rough and ready explanation.
• round and round = in circles. I started to feel sick, everything was going round and round in my head.

IDIOMS WITH ANIMALS (bird, dog and cat)

IDIOMS WITH ANIMALS

BIRD

• as free as a bird = free, without worries
• a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush = más vale pájaro en mano que cien volando
• the early bird catches the worm = al que madruga Dios lo ayuda

• birds of a feather flock together = Dios los cría y ellos se juntan
• to kill two birds with one stone = matar dos pájaros de un tiro
• to eat like a bird = eat very little
• a bird's eye view = a vuelo de pájaro
• an early bird = a person who arrives or gets up early
• a bird of ill omen = un pájaro de mal agüero
• as the crow flies = in a straight line
• a little bird told me something = expression used to say that you know something but you will not say how you found out  = me contó un pajarito

CAT

• a cat has nine lives = un gato tiene siete vidas (Nótese que en inglés el gato tiene dos vidas más!)
• curiosity killed the cat (satisfaction brought it back) = it may be dangerous to be too curious
• to fight like cat and dog = to fight a lot
• has a cat got your tongue? = ¿te comieron la lengua los ratones?
• to let the cat out of the bag = to reveal a secret carelessly
• like a cat on hot bricks = very nervous
• no room to swing a cat = not enough space
• to have a cat nap = to have a short sleep
• to play cat and mouse with somebody = to keep somebody in uncertain expectation, treating him alternately cruelly and kindly
• when the cat's away, the mice will play = cuando el gato no está, los ratones se divierten
• all cats are grey in the dark = por la noche todos los gatos son pardos
• to put/set the cat among the pigeons = to introduce somebody/something that is likely to cause trouble
• it's raining cats and dogs = it's raining a lot = está lloviendo a cántaros
• a cat in gloves catches no mice = gato con guantes no caza ratones
• hunt with cats and you catch only rats = you should choose you allies wisely

DOG

• a dog's life = constantly worried, troubled or miserable
• every dog has his day = everyone can succeed sooner or later
• love me, love my dog = if one loves somebody, one should love everyone and everything associated with him
• to be like a dog with two tails = to be very happy
• to give a dog a bad name (and hang him) = once a person has lost his reputation, it's difficult to regain it
• to go to the dog = (an organization) become less efficient
• to let sleeping dogs lie = to let it be quiet
• to make a dog's breakfast of something = to do something very badly
• not to stand/have a dog's chance = to have no chance at all
• to work like a dog = to work a lot
• to treat somebody like a dog = to treat somebody with no respect at all
• to die like a dog = to die in misery, with no honour nor dignity
• dog eat dog = (adj) when people compete against each other and do anything to get what they want; a dog eat dog world/situation.
• the tail wagging the dog = situation in which a minor part of something controls the course of the whole
• his bark is worse than his bite = perro que ladra no muerde
• barking dogs seldom/never bite = people who look aggressive are not really too bad
• you can't teach an old dog new tricks = it's difficult for an old person to change or do new things
• top dog = person who has the most power in a group
• the underdog = a person or team that is weaker than the others, and is always expected to be unsuccessful
• doggy bag = small bag for taking home the food that is left over from a meal in a restaurant