Idioms (4 of 6)

Idioms are fixed expressions with nonliteral meaning; a natural way of using a language; or a stylistic expressions of person or group.

Here are some examples of Idiomatic Expressions (4 of 6):

• when the chips are down - at a time of crisis or when vital matters are at stake (informal)
• certificate of crew’s health - a certificate stating that the crew of a ship is healthy and is not affected by infectious diseases
• a clean bill of health- a good report on somebody’s health
• a clean slate- an imaginary record of somebody’s past
• wipe the slate clean- to forget about what has happened and make a fresh start (informal)
• a closed book- somebody about whom or something about which little if anything is known or understood
• an open book- something or somebody fully comprehended
• bring somebody to book- to admonish somebody
• cook the books- to alter records, especially financial accounts
• in somebody’s book-in somebody’s opinion
• in somebody’s good or bad books- in or out of favor with somebody
• make book on something- to accept bets on the likelihood of something happening
• throw the book at somebody- to charge somebody with all the offenses he or she may be guilty of, or punish somebody with the maximum penalty
• a crying shame- much to be deplored or too bad
• cut somebody dead- to ignore somebody deliberately and completely
• cut and run- to leave a place quickly to avoid being caught or detained
• cut both ways- to have both advantages and disadvantages
• cut it close- to allow barely enough of something, often time, for what has to be done
• a darn sight- a good deal or a great deal
• a dime a dozen- very common and not worth much
• one thin dime- a very small amount of money
• a dog’s life- a wretched existence
• dog eat dog- ruthlessly competitive
• go to the dogs- be in the final stages of a gradual decline in standards (informal)
• let sleeping dogs lie- to take no action in a situation that is currently peaceful but potentially troublesome
• a drop in the bucket- just a tiny part of the full quantity that is required, and thus insignificant
• at the drop of a hat- without needing persuasion or prompting
• get or have the drop on somebody- to catch somebody by surprise before he or she can surprise you (informal)
• let something drop- to reveal information to somebody, often casually or accidentally
• a feather in somebody’s cap- an act or achievement that gives somebody cause to be proud- Ex: Being asked to give the after-dinner speech was a feather in my cap.
• few and far between- scarce or infrequent (informal)
• quite a few- a fairly large number (informal)
• have or keep a card up your sleeve- to have a secret plan or tactic ready to be used if necessary (informal)
• a few cards short of a (full) deck- not very intelligent (informal)