摘要: When you are "on top of the world," you are feeling great. Example: "What a beautiful day, today. I am on top of the world!" Sometimes you are "on top of the world" because a great thing happene[阅读全文]

摘要: In business meetings and college classes people often make copies of a single report and hand a copy to each person at the meeting. While they discuss the different points in the report, each person n[阅读全文]

摘要: One who is facing a choice but is "on the fence" has not decided what choice they will make. Example: "Which school do you prefer?" Answer: "I don't know; I'm on the fence." You are on the fen[阅读全文]

摘要: You are "on pins and needles" when you are very nervous about something happening. Example: "There had been a rumor that someone was going to get fired, but we didn't know who it would be; so the[阅读全文]

摘要: To be in a difficult situation is like hanging "on" a "hook"; to get free of the problem you must get "off the hook". Example: "We've caught you again, but this time you won't get off the hoo[阅读全文]

摘要: To get off to a bad start is to get "off on the wrong foot." Example: "Tomorrow is our first meeting with this client so let's not get off on the wrong foot." To start off on a journey we must fi[阅读全文]

摘要: "Off limits" describes a place where you are not allowed to go. Example: "The park is off limits; I do not want you going in there." Children like to forget where they're not supposed to go, so p[阅读全文]

摘要: The "chance" of something happening is the measure of its possibility. To say "not a chance" is to say that something will not happen. Example: "Do you think you will be able to finish your repor[阅读全文]

摘要: Your "nose is out of joint" when the look on your face and the way you act shows other people that you are upset. Example: "What's wrong with him?" Answer: "His nose is out of joint because we f[阅读全文]

摘要: To "bite the hand that feeds you" is to harm someone who has been helping you. Example: "We treat each of our customers with the greatest respect here. We never bite the hand that feeds us." If yo[阅读全文]

摘要: "Neither a borrower, nor a lender be" says that it is best to not lend [money] to other people and to not borrow from other people. When we lend something we risk losing both the thing we lend and t[阅读全文]

摘要: Neck and neck refers to the state that two competitors are in when they compete evenly in a race. We can imagine two people running in a race side by side barely "necking" ahead of each other. Both[阅读全文]

摘要: "Method" is the careful, systematic way that something intelligent is done. "Madness" is the strange, meaningless action of a crazy person. There is "method to one's madness" when what looks li[阅读全文]

摘要: A hatter in 19th century England was a professional who made and fixed hats, and hatters used a glue which over time caused them to act crazy (mad). A person who acts as if they are crazy (mad) is "m[阅读全文]

摘要: You let the cat out of the bag when you tell a big secret. Example: "Bob didn't want anyone to know he was sick, but his wife let the cat out of the bag." A secret is like a cat that has been kept[阅读全文]

摘要: To "let sleeping dogs lie" is to avoid restarting old conflicts. Revisiting an old conflict is like waking a sleeping dog; we are better not to do it. Example: "I wanted to ask her what she thought[阅读全文]

摘要: A "bygone" is something which has already happened; the time when it happened has "gone by". We say "let bygones be bygones" to people who have had a disagreement in the past when we want them t[阅读全文]

摘要: Lend me your ear is a polite way of asking for a person's full attention to listen to what you will say. Example: "Could you lend me your ear for a minute? I need to talk with you about something."[阅读全文]

摘要: A "labor of love" is something that you do because of love or because you love to do it. Example: "They always want to pay me for the work I do at the hospital, but I will never accept their money.[阅读全文]

摘要: To "keep an eye on" someone is to watch that person carefully. Example: "Would you keep an eye on my son for me while I am gone?" Reply: "Sure." You take a share of responsibility for something[阅读全文]