In the name Of God

I have provided these slides for my

friends to help them with their English.
I hope these slides will be useful for
them. I would like to express my
sincere thanks to all my friends for
their kindness, affection, patience,
encouragement, and their tolerance.

Time goes, we also go, only kindness

and affection is everlasting.
Behnam. You… 30 June, 2008
 People in glass houses
shouldn't throw stones
Used to say that you should not criticize
someone for having a fault if you have the same
fault yourself

She always criticized her friends for

driving too fast, but she herself used
to do it. At last I told her, "People in
."glass houses shouldn't throw stones
 Can't hold a candle to
somebody/something
If something or someone cannot hold a
candle to something or someone else, they
.are not as good as the other thing or person

You can’t hold a candle to me

when it comes to playing the
.piano
 Rain cats and dogs
Rain very hard

It is raining very hard. You will

get all soaked the minute you
.step out
 ?Cat got your tongue
Used to ask someone why they are not
talking

Why did you come home so late

last night? Answer me! Cat got
?your tongue
 Out of the blue
If something happens out of the blue, it is
very unexpected

Do you remember Jane? Well, she

phoned me yesterday,
.completely out of the blue
As like as two peas in a pod
Exactly the same in appearance,
behaviour etc

The two sisters are as like as

.two peas in a pod
 Bend over backwards
To try as hard as possible to help or
please someone

For passing all the exams

successfully, her parents bent
.over backwards to help her
 Under the table
Money that is paid under the table is
paid secretly and illegally

They paid him under the table

so he wouldn't have to pay
.taxes
 Let the cat out of the bag
To tell someone a secret, especially
without intending to

I'm sorry. Jim knows about last

week's party. I'm afraid I let
.the cat out of the bag
 Hit the nail on the head
Used to say that what someone has said is
exactly right

A:I guess we need a lot of money to

.carry out the plan
B: You’re absolutely right. You’ve hit
.the nail on the head
 Go into a nosedive
A sudden very large fall in the price,
value, or condition of something

The economy went into a

.nosedive
 Save somebody's neck
To help someone to escape from an
extremely difficult or dangerous situation

Thanks for not letting the boss

fire me. You save my neck in
.time
leave somebody/something
high and dry
If someone is left high and dry, they are
left without any help or without the things
that they need

She promise to help me with the

dishes after the party, but she
.left me high and dry
 Let sleeping dogs lie
To deliberately avoid mentioning a
subject, so that you do not cause any
trouble or argument

The best plan is just to let

.sleeping dogs lie
A horse of a different colour
Something that is completely different
from another thing

I was talking about trees, not

bushes. Bushes are a horse of
.different colour
 Like a bull in a china shop
If you are like a bull in a china shop, you keep
knocking things over, dropping things,
breaking things etc

Each time you enter the room, you

knock something down. You’re
.really like a bull in a china shop
 Be/get carried away
To be so excited, angry, interested etc
that you are no longer really in control of
what you do or say, or you forget
everything else

Calm done! Don’t get carried

away. We have to sit down and
 Speak of the devil
Used when someone you have just
been talking about walks into the room
where you are

Speak of the devil! We just

mentioned your name before
.you stepped in
Get out of bed on the wrong
side
To feel slightly angry or annoyed for no
particular reason

Why are you so grouchy today?

Did you get out of bed on the
?wrong side
 Keep your shirt on
Used to tell someone who is becoming
angry that they should stay calm

Keep your shirt on! You’re next

.in line
 Can't make head or tail of
something
To be completely unable to understand
something

I can’t make head or tail of what

you’re saying. Why don’t you
?speak more clearly
Be/feel like a fish out of water
To feel uncomfortable because you feel
you do not belong in a place or situation

I felt like a fish out of water in

.my new school
Keep/put something on ice
To do nothing about a plan or
suggestion for a period of time

I'm putting my plans for a new

.car on ice until I finish college
 Pass the hat around
To collect money from a group of people,
especially in order to buy someone a
present

No matter how hard he tries,

he won’t be able to pay his
debts. I guess we’ll have to
 Dog eat dog
When people compete against each
other and will do anything to get what
they want

It's a dog eat dog world out

there.
Keep your ear to the ground
To make sure that you always know
what is happening in a situation

I haven't heard any more

news, but I'll keep my ear to
.the ground
 Shake a leg
Used to tell someone to hurry, or quickly
start doing something

It’s getting late. Come on,

!Shake a leg
 Drag your feet/heels
To take too much time to do something
because you do not want to do it

If you keep dragging your feet,

.you’ll miss the train
 On its last legs
Old or in bad condition, and likely to
stop working soon

My car is its last legs. I have to

.get rid of it as soon as I can
 Not have a leg to stand on
To be in a situation where you cannot
prove or legally support what you say

If you didn't sign a contract, you

.won't have a leg to stand on
 Cock and bull story
A story or excuse that is silly and
unlikely but is told as if it were true

Who the hell do you expect to

?believe your cock and bull story
 Make a mountain out of a
molehill
To treat a problem as if it was very
serious when in fact it is not

She was only five minutes late!

You're making a mountain out
.of a molehill
Throw the book at somebody
To punish someone as severely as
possible or charge them with as many
offences as possible

If you get caught they'll throw

!the book at you
 Be up to your ears in
work/problem/debt
To have got a lot work/problem/debt

.I’m up to my ears in debt

 The coast is clear
If the coast is clear, it is safe for you to do
something without being seen or caught

Okay guys, You can come out

of your hiding place now. The
.coast is clear
 Snow job
An act of making someone believe something
that is not true

That car dealer did a snow job on

me by selling me a car that was a
.piece of junk
 Pay lip service to
somebody/something
To say that you support or agree with
something without doing anything to prove it

Don’t sit and pay lip service to

!human rights. Get busy
 Put your heads together
To discuss a difficult problem together

The next morning, we all put

our heads together to decide
.what should be done
Look daggers at somebody
To look at someone angrily

Why are you looking dagger at

me? Have I done anything
 Be going to the dogs
If a country or organization is going to the dogs, it
is getting worse and will be difficult to improve

Our neighborhood has really been

getting to the dogs since a bunch
.of drug addicts moved in
 Step on somebody's toes
To offend or upset someone, especially
by trying to do their work

I hope I have not stepped on

anyone’s toes by what I said at
.the meeting
 Catch somebody red-handed
To catch someone at the moment when
they are doing something wrong

Earl was caught red-handed

.taking the money
 Go bananas
To become very angry or excited

Mum went bananas when I said

.I was going to leave nursing
 Be at the end of your tether
To be so worried, tired etc that you feel you
can no longer deal with a difficult or upsetting
situation

I had no money, my husband was

sick, and I couldn't get a job. I was
.at the end of my tether
 Be/get on your high horse
To give your opinion about something in a
way that shows you think you are definitely
right and that other people are wrong

Don't get on your high horse

.with me
 Be (living) on easy street
To be in a situation in which you have plenty
of money

Everyone has got some problems,

even people who live on easy
 At sixes and sevens
Disorganised and confused

When the visitors arrived we

.were still at sixes and sevens
 Be a pain in the neck
To be very annoying

There’s something wrong with

my car almost every day. It’s
really become a pain in the
.neck
Get the hang of something
To learn how to do something or use
something

It seems difficult at first, but

.you'll soon get the hang of it
 Make waves
To cause problems, especially when you
should not

Lora can do what ever she

wants at work as long as she
.doesn't make waves
The ball is in somebody's court
It is their turn to take action or to reply

I've emailed her - now the ball's

.in her court
 Pay through the nose
To pay much more for something than it
is really worth

Catherine, paying through the

nose to search for fun and
 Get off somebody's back
To stop annoying someone with a lot of
questions, criticisms etc or to make
someone stop annoying you in this way

Do me a favour and get off my

back!
 Fly off the handle
To suddenly get very angry

Calm down - there's no need to fly

.off the handle
 Touch wood
Said just after you have said that things are
going well for you, when you want your good
luck to continue

I've never been in trouble with

.the police, touch wood
 Big mouth
If someone has a big mouth, they say too
much or tell another person's secrets

Don’t tell her any secrets. She

.has a big mouth
 Pass the buck
To make someone else them responsible for
something that you should deal with

It's easy to pass the buck and

blame someone else for your
.failure
 Cross my heart
Used to say that you promise that you will do
something, or that what you are saying is true

!I didn't take it, cross my heart

 The fat is in the fire
Used to say that there will be trouble
because of something that has
happened

The fat’s in the fire! There is

100,000 $ missing from the
.office safe
 Make a splash
To do something that gets a lot of public
attention

Russell's new show made a big

.splash in New York
 Henpecked husband
A man who is henpecked is always
being told what to do by his wife, and is
afraid to disagree with her

I respect my wife’s views, but

.I’m not a henpecked husband
 A shot in the arm
Something that makes you more
confident or more successful

The new factory will give the

local economy a real shot in the
.arm
 A shot in the dark
An attempt to guess something without
having any facts or definite ideas

My answer to the last question was

.a complete shot in the dark
 Make ends meet
To have only just enough money to buy
the things you need

Things are so expensive

nowadays that it’s very difficult
 Grease somebody's palm
To give someone money in a secret or
dishonest way in order to persuade them to
do something

Joseph was able to grease a

few palms, thus helping his
.brother to escape
 Get a jump on
somebody/something
To gain an advantage, especially by
doing something earlier than usual or
earlier than someone else

I want to get a jump on my

.Christmas shopping
 Money talks
Used to say that people with money have
power and can get what they want

Money talks, and poor working

.people are ignored
 Monkey business
Bad or dishonest behaviour

Stop the monkey business! This

.is serious
 Sitting duck
Someone who is easy to attack or easy
to cheat

Out in the open, the soldiers

were sitting ducks for enemy
.fire
 Laughing stock
Someone who is a laughing stock has
done something so silly that people
have no respect for them

We can't do that -we'd be a

!laughing stock
 Neck and neck
If two competitors or groups are neck
and neck in a competition or race, they
are level with each other

There were coming toward the

.finish line neck and neck
 Somebody is no spring
chicken
Used to say that someone is no longer young
- used humorously

I’m not as agile as I used to be. I’m

.no spring chicken
 Play gooseberry
To be with two people who are having a
romantic relationship and who want to be
alone together

I think you two want to be left

alone; I’m not going to play
.gooseberry
 Bite off more than you can
chew
To try to do more than you are able to do

Many kids who leave home to live

alone find they have bitten off more
.than they can chew
 Bite the bullet
To start dealing with an unpleasant or
dangerous situation because you
cannot avoid it any longer

It's not easy, but as a manager,

sometimes you have to bite the
.bullet and fire people
 Be in the doghouse
To be in a situation in which someone is
annoyed with you because of something
you have done

I'm in the doghouse for forgetting

.Valentine's Day
 Beat around the bush
To avoid or delay talking about something
embarrassing or unpleasant

Don't beat around the bush. Ask for

your account to be paid, and paid
.quickly
 Be full of it
A rude expression used to say that
someone often says things that are wrong
or stupid

.Don't listen to Jerry. He's full of it

 Pardon my French
Used humorously to say that you are
sorry for using a swear word

He is really a bastard, if you

.we'll pardon my French
 Be a piece of cake
To be very easy to do

?A: How do you do that

!B: It's a piece of cake! Watch
 Have a bone to pick with
somebody
Used to tell someone that you are annoyed
with them and want to talk about it

Betty, I’ve got a bone to pick

with you. Why didn’t you come
and see me yesterday? I waited
.for you for hours
 Test the water
To check people's reaction to a plan
before you decide to use it

We have to test the water,

.before we make a final decision
 Stick to your guns
To refuse to change your mind about
something, even though other people are
trying to persuade you that you are wrong

Many people tried to change his

.mind, but he stuck to his guns
 Bury the hatchet/bury your
differences
To agree to stop arguing about something and
become friends

You’d better bury the hatchet

before things get worse between
.you two
 Have a frog in your throat
To have difficulty in speaking, especially
because of a sore throat

Excuse me, I can’t talk clearly. I

.have got a frog in my throat
 Give somebody the slip
To escape from someone who is chasing
you

The street was really full of

people that the thief managed
.to give them the slip
 Put your foot in it
To say something without thinking
carefully, so that you embarrass or upset
someone

I've really put my foot in it this

time. I didn't realise that was
!her husband
 Stick/poke your nose into
something
To become involved in something that does
not concern you, in a way that annoys people

Why don’t you stop poking your

nose into my business? You’d
.better mind your own life
 Hit below the belt
To be unfair or cruel

The comments hit below the

belt.
 Break the ice
To make people feel more friendly and willing
to talk to each other

I tried to break the ice by

offering her a drink, but she
.said no
 For a song
Very cheaply

He bought the house for a song

.five years ago
 Cut the crap
Stop saying something that is not true

Cut the crap! Talk straight or

!buzz off
 Hit the roof/ceiling
To be very angry

Ritz returned, saw the mess, and

.hit the roof
 Pull strings
To secretly use your influence with important
people in order to get what you want or to
help someone else

Is it possible to get anything

done around here without
?pulling strings
 Bark up the wrong tree
To have a wrong idea, or do something in a
way that will not give you the information or
result you want

You're barking up the wrong

tree if you think Sam can help
.you
Put the cart before the horse
To do two things in the wrong order

Hey, tom! Why are you eating

your dessert first? You’re putting
.the cart before the horse
 Burn the midnight oil
To work or study until late at night

I’m going to go home and burn

the midnight oil tonight. I have
.to take a big test tomorrow
 Chalk and cheese
Completely different from each other

The two brothers are as

different as chalk and cheese.
 Rain or shine
Whatever happens or whatever the weather
is like

Don't worry. We'll be there -

.rain or shine
 Get/have cold feet
To suddenly feel that you are not brave
enough to do something you planned to do

The plan failed after sponsors

.got cold feet
 Smell a rat
To guess that something wrong or dishonest
is happening

I smelled a rat as soon as I saw

a strange man walking on our
.farm
 Ring a bell
If something rings a bell, it reminds you of
something, but you cannot remember
exactly what it is

Her name rings a bell but I can't

.remember her face
 Pig in a poke
Something you bought without seeing it
first and that is not as good or valuable
as you expected

I won’t buy your car without

checking it. I can’t buy a pig in a
.poke
 Rock the boat
To cause problems for other members of
a group by criticizing something or trying
to change the way something is done

He kept his feelings to himself,

.not wanting to rock the boat
 Follow your nose
a) to go straight forward or continue in the
same direction
b) to go to the place from where there is a
particular smell coming

A:Excuse me, where is the

nearest gas station?
B:Just follow your nose!
 Get off my case
Used to tell someone to stop criticizing
you or complaining about you

!OK, OK, just get off my case

 Be walking on air
To be feeling extremely happy

Bob was walking on air on his

.graduation day
 Rub somebody's nose in
it/in the dirt
To keep reminding someone about something
they did wrong or failed to do, especially in
order to punish them

I know I made a terrible mistake,

but there is no need to rub my
.nose in it
 Have a screw loose
To be slightly crazy

He never talks sense. He seems

!to have a screw loose
 Twist somebody's arm
To persuade someone to do something
they do not want to do

Daady won’t buy me the car

.unless I twist his arm
 Hold your tongue
Used to tell someone to stop talking or to not
tell someone about something

Hold your tongue, Steve! You

.can’t talk to your sister that way
 By the book
Exactly according to rules or instructions

Rules are not to be broken - Barb

.does everything by the book
 Strike while the iron is hot
To do something immediately rather than
waiting until a later time when you are less
likely to succeed

Don't wait until tomorrow before

you tell him, strike while the iron
!is hot
 String along
To deceive someone for a long time by
making them believe that you will help them,
that you love them etc

Bob doesn’t want to marry your

sister, he is just stringing her
.along
 Hold your horse
Used to tell someone to do something
more slowly or carefully

Hey, don’t get so mad! Hold your

.horse and let us explain
 Talk somebody's ear off
To talk too much to someone

My grandmother takes my ear

.off whenever I see her
 Talk turkey
To talk seriously about details, especially in
business

Let’s stop joking around. We’ve

.got to sit down and talk turkey
 The salt of the earth
Someone who is ordinary but good and
honest

Everybody knows that Jim and

his old lady are the salt of the
.earth
 It's (a case of) the tail
wagging the dog
Used to say that an unimportant thing is
wrongly controlling a situation

Nowadays, children control

parents. It’s a case of the tail
!wagging the dog
 Bite the dust
To die, fail, or be defeated

My old car's finally bitten the

.dust
 I'll eat my hat
Used to emphasize that you think
something is not true or will not happen

You’re not studying hard

enough, I’ll eat my hat if you
 Be in the same boat
To be in the same unpleasant situation
as someone else

If marriage is a boat, then many

!of us are in the same boat
 Get somebody's goat
To make someone extremely annoyed

Relax - don't let him get your

.goat
 Jump out off one’s skin
Very shocked or frightened

Don't shout. I nearly jumped out

of my skin.
 Be all fingers and thumbs
To be unable to do something in which
you have to make small careful
movements with your fingers

She was all fingers and thumbs

.- and worry
 Take somebody for a ride
To trick someone, especially in order to
get money from them

I'd just begun to realise he was

.taking me for a ride
 Sell somebody/something
short
To not give someone or something the praise,
attention, or reward that they deserve

Don't sell yourself short - tell

them about all your
.qualifications
 Shoot from the hip
To say what you think in a direct way, or
make a decision very quickly, without
thinking about it first

Don’t pay any attention to him.

It’s just his nature to shoot from
.the hip
 Wet blanket
Someone who seems to want to spoil other
people's fun, for example by refusing to join
them in something enjoyable that they are
doing

You shouldn’t invite him to

your party. He is such a wet
!blanket
 Go fly a kite
Used to tell someone to go away, stop
saying something, or stop annoying you

Stop bothering me! Go fly a

!kite
 Split hair
When people pay too much attention to small
differences and unimportant details,
especially in an argument

Let’s stop hair- splitting. We

should look at the problem as a
.whole
 Call a spade a spade
To speak about things in a direct and honest
way, even though it may be impolite to do this

Grandfather hates fancy words;

.he always calls a spade a spade
 Pull somebody's leg
To tell someone something that is not true, as
a joke

Don't worry. I was just pulling

your leg about moving - I'm not
.going anywhere
 Give somebody(a )five
To hit the inside of someone's hand
with your hand to show that you are
very pleased about something

!Hey man! Give me five

 Level with somebody
To speak honestly to someone, after
hiding some unpleasant facts from them

Come on Bill! I want you to level

?with me. Did you do that
 Cut corners
To save time, money, or energy by doing
things quickly and not as carefully as you
should

Don't try to cut corners when

.you're decorating
 Put/lay your cards on the
table
To tell people what your plans and intentions
are in a clear, honest way

Come on, lay your cards on the

table. Tell me what you really
.think
 Hit the road/trail
To begin a journey

It’s getting pretty late. Let’s hit

!the road
Feel like a million dollars
To feel or look very healthy, happy, and
beautiful

?How are you doing Rosa

!I feel like a million bucks
 Lead a dog's life
A life that is difficult and unpleasant, with very
little pleasure

I’m going to get rich soon. I’m

quite tired of leading a dog’s
.life
 Lay an egg
To fail or be unsuccessful at something
that you are trying to do

I hope I won’t lay an egg, when

!it’s my turn to sing
 Off the record
An off-the-record remark is unofficial and is
not supposed to be made public

The Prime Minister's remarks

.were strictly off the record
 Make no bones about
(doing) something
To not feel nervous or ashamed about
doing or saying something

Mary made no bones about

.enjoying a drink
 Blow the whistle on
somebody
To tell someone in authority about
something wrong that someone is doing

He blew the whistle on his

.colleagues
 In the bag
Certain to be won or achieved

The governor's advisors believe

.the election is in the bag
 Paint the town
To go out to bars, clubs etc to enjoy yourself

Tonight we're going to paint the

.town red
 Play something by ear
To decide what to do according to the
way a situation develops, without
making plans before that time

We'll see what the weather's

like and play it by ear.
 Be sitting pretty
To be in a very good or favourable
position

We've paid off the mortgage, so

.we're sitting pretty now
 Rock the boat
To cause problems for other members of
a group by criticizing something or trying
to change the way something is done

As long as you don't rock the

.boat, nobody cares what you do
 Be/fall in love
To have a strong feeling of liking someone
a lot combined with sexual attraction

I think I'm falling in love with

.Rosa
 THE END

I provided these slides in the hope

that they would be useful. I have
selected them from some
dictionaries.
Please forgive me for making
mistakes.

All the best,

Behnam. You… 30 June, 2008