Idioms for Everyday Use

Unit One Idioms from food

1．in a pickle: in trouble

e.g. Bill was in a pickle. After filling his car with gas, he could not find the money to pay.

2．a piece of cake: something that is very easy to do

e.g. The math test was a piece of cake for Erik. He is very good at doing math problems.

3．a lemon: something that does not work, usually an electrical appliance or mechanical item

e.g. The new tape player I bought was a lemon, and I’m going to take it back to the store for a new one.

4．to cream someone: to totally beat someone in a game

e.g. Our basketball team really creamed its opponent. Our team won by a score of 120 to 60.

5．peanuts: a very small amount of money

e.g. Rose buys used clothes at secondhand stores, and she gets nice-looking clothes for peanuts.

6．baloney: nonsense

e.g. His speech about the importance of helping the poor is baloney. He wouldn’t even give his best friend a dime.

7．fishy: suspicious, not right or honest

e.g. On our way return home, we found the front door open, and we suspected that something fishy was going on.

8．to go bananas: to go crazy

e.g. She went bananas when she heard she had won first prize in the talent contest.

9．nuts: very crazy, very upset

e.g. Tony must be nuts to pay over a hundred dollars for a shirt.

10． a peach: a very nice person

e.g. When I was sick last week, Susan visited me and bought groceries for me. She’s a peach.

11．the apple of one’s eye: someone’s favorite person

e.g. The baby is the apple of her grandfather’s eye. He thinks that she’s wonderful.

Unit Two Idioms from Numbers

1.forty winks: a short sleep, a nap

e.g. I sometimes take forty winks on Saturday afternoon, so that I can continue working around the house afterward.

2.on second thought: changing one’s mind after thinking more about

something

e.g. You know that large-screen TV I was going to buy? On second thought, I decided to keep my old TV for a while.

3.on cloud nine: extremely happy

e.g. Anita was on cloud nine when she graduated from college at the top of her class.

4.in seventh heaven: extremely happy

e.g. Maxwell was in seventh heaven when he learned he had got the job.

5.sixth sense: a special feeling for something, or a special

understanding of things

e.g. Lisa has a sixth sense for directions. She always knows which road to take to get where she wants to go.

6.second nature: easy and natural to someone

e.g. Learning to golf is second nature to someone people. They can hit the ball well with no problem the very first time.

7.six of one, half a dozen of the other: no difference, either choice okay

e.g. We can either stay home or go to the movie. I don’t care. For me, it’s six of one, half a dozen of the other.

8.of two minds: having trouble making a decision

e.g. Betty was of two minds about her future: Should she study to be a teacher or an actress.

9.to put two and two together: to finally understand something, to

come to a conclusion about something

e.g. We saw our neighbors putting suitcases into their car. So we put two and two together and concluded that they were going on a trip.

10.second to none: the very best

e.g. The food in that restaurant is second to none. You really get the best meal there.

11.at first sight: after a quick look, before really thinking about one’s