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Sports Idioms
1010- across the board
- applying to all (in horse racing a bet where an equal amount of money is placed on a horse to finish in any top winning position)
The workers received an across the board wage increase and most of them were happy.
1011- arrow in one's quiver
- have a number of resources or strategies that one can follow
His ability with languages was another arrow in his quiver and helped him in his business life.
1012- at this stage of the game
- at some point, at some time during an activity
At this stage of the game I don't think that we should spend more money on the project.
1013- back the wrong horse
- make the wrong choice, support the wrong thing (from horse racing)
The students backed the wrong horse in the election for school president and were very surprised at the winner.
1014- ball is in someone's court
- it is that person's turn to act next (from tennis or a similar game)
We made an offer to buy the business and now the ball is in the owner's court as to whether or not she will accept our offer.
1015- ballpark estimate
- in a certain area or range (when guessing something)
We made a ballpark estimate as to when we would be arriving at the train station.
1016- beat the gun
- do something before the ending signal of a game etc.
We were able to beat the gun and applied before the final deadline to get the free basketball tickets.
1017- behind the eight ball
- at a disadvantage (from the black ball which is numbered eight in the game of pool)
Our friend was behind the eight ball when he discovered that he was last in line to register for his classes.
1018- beyond one's depth
- in water that is too deep, do something that is too difficult
The executives appeared to be beyond their depth when they chose to pick a fight with the unions.
1019- carry the ball
- be in charge (from carry the ball in American football)
The director decided to let his assistant carry the ball on the assignment for the new sale's contract.
1020- cover all of one's bases
- thoroughly prepare for or deal with a situation
He covered all of his bases before going to the job interview and performed very well.
1021- (be) cricket
- fair play, gentlemanly conduct (usually used in the negative)
The way that the government treated the union leaders was not cricket.
1022- down/out for the count
- defeated, unconscious (in boxing a boxer who is on the ground must get up before the count of ten or he will lose)
The political candidate seemed to be down for the count when no major figures supported him.
1023- down to the wire
- at the very last minute (from the wire at the end of a horse race)
The election went down to the wire but in the end the President was re-elected to another term in office.
1024- draw first blood
- the first point or advantage gained in a contest (often in boxing or fighting with swords)
The heavyweight champion drew first blood in the boxing match but in the end was defeated by his opponent.
1025- drop the ball
- make an error or mistake, handle things badly
The government dropped the ball on their decision to expand the airport runway without consulting the local residents.
1026- first past the post
- winning a race by being the first to reach the finishing line (in a horse race)
The young horse was first past the post and won a large amount of money in the race.
1027- get off to a flying start
- have a very successful beginning
The meeting got off to a flying start when the company directors announced that they had won a large contract.
1028- get to (reach) first base with someone or something
- make an advance with someone or in some undertaking (from first base in baseball)
I spent several hours talking about changing my work hours but I wasn't able to get to first base with my boss.
1029- get two/three strikes against someone
- get several things against one, be in a situation where success in unlikely (in baseball a batter is finished after three strikes)
His absence from work and being late were serious problems. He now had two strikes against him. Any more problems and he would have to be fired.
1030- go to bat for someone
- support or help someone (in baseball you sometines substitute one batter for another)
The young woman's teacher went to bat for her when she was having problems with the school administration.
1031- go to the mat
- argue strongly on behalf of someone or something
The coach would always go to the mat for his players when they were having problems.
1032- have had a good innings
- have enjoyed a long period of positive action or opportunity (from cricket where an innings is the time that a team spends batting and a good innings is when they score a lot of runs)
The team had a very good innings and won the match easily.
1033- hit someone below the belt
- unfair, not following the rules (from hitting low in boxing)
It was a case of hitting someone below the belt when the girl stole her best friend's boyfriend from her.
1034- hit the bull's-eye
- achieve your goal perfectly
We hit the bull's-eye when our sales target was met for the year.
1035- in someone's corner
- on someone's side, supporting someone (in a boxing match each boxer has his own corner)
The young man gained confidence when he realized that there were many people in his corner.
1036- in the ballpark
- in a particular area or range (from a baseball field)
The value of my business was not in the same ballpark as what I had been offered so I decided not to sell it.
1037- in the bullpen
- a baseball player is in a special area getting ready to pitch in a game
The new pitcher practiced in the bullpen while he waited for a chance to enter the game.
1038- jockey for position
- try to put yourself in a better position at the expense of others (as a jockey would do in a horse race)
The salesmen started to jockey for position as soon as they learned that the sales manager was leaving the company.
1039- jump the gun
- start before the starting signal or before you should start (as in a race)
My friend jumped the gun and applied for the job before applications were being accepted.
1040- keep one's eye on the ball
- remain alert, keep one's attention focused on the ball or the matter at hand
He was told that during the meeting he must keep his eye on the ball and concentrate on the matter at hand.
1041- keep the ball rolling
- maintain the momentum of an activity
My friend is always able to keep the ball rolling when we are gathered for dinner and everyone becomes silent.
1042- kick off
- kick the ball and start the game in American football, begin, start
They kicked off the campaign to raise money for the hospital with a large fund raising event at a restaurant.
1043- know the score
- know the facts about something
The new secretary doesn't really know the score about how the company operates.
1044- level playing field
- a situation where everyone has an equal chance at success
We were able to achieve a level playing field with the other schools when the government made some new rules regarding the competition.
1045- make the cut
- meet or come up to a required standard (from golf where a player must do equal or better than a certain score to continue)
The young player did not make the cut and was unable to join the team that year.
1046- meet one's match
- encounter one's equal
The boxer finally met his match when he was offered the fight with the other wrestler.
1047- miss the cut
- fail to come up to or meet a required standard (from golf where a player must do equal or better than a certain score to continue)
After several successful tournaments the golfer missed the cut and could not enter the next tournament.
1048- move the goalposts
- unfairly change the conditions or rules of something that you are doing
Although we followed the rules when applying for the license, the government officials seemed to have moved the goalposts and our application failed.
1049- neck and neck
- exactly even (as in a horse race)
The two candidates were running neck and neck in the election until the last ballots were counted late in the evening.
1050- nip and tuck
- almost even or tied
The two horses were running nip and tuck for most of the race but finally the younger horse won the race.
1051- not in the same league
- much inferior to someone
Our football team was not in the same league as the Brazilian players who we met at the tournament.
1052- odds are against one
- there is little chance that you will succeed
The odds were against the boy joining the team but he tried very hard anyway.
1053- off base
- wrong, unrealistic
The general was off base with his estimate about how many soldiers were needed for the battle.
1054- off to a running start
- start with a good fast beginning
Everyone was off to a running start when the campaign to collect money for the new hospital began.
1055- on a par with
- equal in importance or quality to something or someone (par is the usual number of strokes that are needed to get around a golf course)
The recent scandal involving steroids in sports was on a par with other major scandals of several decades ago.
1056- on side
- supporting or part of the same team as someone else
We finally got the directors on side in our bid to host the local basketball championships.
1057- on the ropes
- in a desperate situation or near defeat (from boxing where the losing boxer is forced back against the ropes)
The boxer was on the ropes and it seemed impossible for him to win the match.
1058- on your marks
- used to tell runners in a race to get into the correct starting position
The race began as soon as the judge yelled, "on your marks, get set, go."
1059- out in left field
- offbeat, unusual (as in the back and left side of a baseball field)
Our teacher's ideas are usually out in left field and everyone is surprised to hear them.
1060- out of one's league
- not equal to or in the same class as someone (a league is a group of sports teams that compete against each other)
The artist was totally out of his league when he went to Paris and tried to enter the art world there.
1061- out of the running
- eliminated from a contest, no longer being considered
Our friend was out of the running for the director's job so she decided to return to school and continue her education.
1062- paddle one's own canoe
- do something alone, be independent
The company director was left to paddle his own canoe when the other members of the company resigned their positions.
1063- par for the course
- what is normal or expected in a given situation (in golf par is the usual number of strokes needed to go around a golf course)
A bad attitude at work is par for the course for that supervisor and it is something that management must deal with.
1064- pass/hand the torch/baton
- hand over a particular duty or responsibility to someone (from the baton or torch that is passed from one runner to the next in a relay race)
The head of the football association passed the torch to his director after spending many years in the sport.
1065- play ball (with someone)
- cooperate with someone
The young men refused to play ball with the police and were taken to the police station for questioning.
1066- play by the rules
- follow the generally accepted rules of something
The team members refused to play by the rules so they were asked to leave the tournament.
1067- play fair
- avoid cheating
The boxer was an honorable athlete and always played fair when he was in the boxing ring.
1068- play hardball with someone
- behave in an extremely determined way to get what you want (hardball and softball are from the game of baseball)
The owners of the football club decided to play hardball when they began negotiating with the top player.
1069- pump iron
- exercise with weights
Her brother has been pumping iron for over two years now.
1070- put in one's oar
- give help, give advice without being asked
We were doing very well until our supervisor came along and put in his oar. We would have done better without him.
1071- rally around someone or something
- join together to support someone or something
The city rallied around the basketball team when they went to the national championships.
1072- rest on one's oars
- relax one's efforts
The negotiating team decided to rest on their oars and wait until their partners had a chance to consider the offer.
1073- right off the bat
- at the very beginning, immediately (like the ball leaving a baseball or cricket bat)
After arriving at the resort, we were told right off the bat that we would have to pay extra to use the pool and the training room.
1074- roll with the punches
- adapt to difficult circumstances (from boxing where a boxer moves away or rolls from a punch to lessen its impact)
My sister is able to roll with the punches and can handle the many problems in her work very well.
1075- run interference
- intervene on behalf of someone to protect them from something (from American football)
They ran interference on their top salesman to protect him from the scandal.
1076- safe bet
- a certainty (a horse that is expected to win a race)
It was a safe bet that we would win the large contract if we bid for it.
1077- saved by the bell
- rescued from a bad situation at the last minute (as in the bell at the end of each round in a boxing match)
We were saved by the bell when the meeting ended before we had to deliver our badly prepared presentation.
1078- send someone to the showers
- send a player off the field and out of a game
The referee sent the top player to the showers after he refused to stop arguing.
1079- sporting chance
- some possibility of success
The tennis player was not given a sporting chance to win the tournament but still she tried very hard to win.
1080- sport of kings
- horse racing
Horse racing has been the sport of kings for many years.
1081- steal a base
- sneak from one base to another in baseball
The young player won an award for stealing the most bases in one year.
1082- sticky wicket
- an awkward situation (from cricket where rain has made it difficult to bat on the field)
The rain had made a sticky wicket out of the field and neither side was able to play very well.
1083- take one's eye off the ball
- fail to keep one's attention focused on the ball or the matter at hand
He took his eye off the ball for only a second and the other team quickly scored a goal.
1084- take the chequered flag
- finish first in a race (from the flag that is used in car racing when the winner finishes the race)
The Brazilian driver took the chequered flag for the third time this year.
1085- throw in the towel/sponge
- admit defeat, stop fighting (in a boxing match a towel is thrown into the ring to admit defeat)
The candidate threw in the towel early in the evening of the election when it was impossible for her win.
1086- throw one's hat into the ring
- be willing or decide to enter a contest or take up a challenge
The young woman decided to throw her hat into the ring for the election for school president.
1087- throw/pitch someone a curve
- pitch a curve in baseball, confuse someone by doing something unexpected
My friend threw me a curve when he changed the dates of our plan to go on a holiday together.
1088- too close to call
- so evenly balanced that it is not possible to predict the outcome (in a contest, race, election)
The game was too close to call until the last few minutes of the game.
1089- toe the line
- accept the authority or policies of a particular group (competitors in a race line up with their toes on the starting line)
The workers refused to toe the line and were fired from their jobs.
1090- touch base with someone
- briefly meet or make contact with someone
I touched base with my uncle before he left on his trip to Mexico.
1091- up to par
- at an expected or usual level or quality (par in golf is the usual number of strokes used to get around a golf course)
The product was not up to par and was sent back to the factory for further improvement.
1092- whole new ball game
- a new set of circumstances (from a new game of baseball)
The election had become a whole new ball game when the main candidate quit because of a scandal.
1093- win by a neck
- succeed by a small amount (in horse racing a horse may win by the length of its head only)
The race was very close but at the end the young horse pulled ahead and won the race by a neck.
1094- win by a nose
- win by a very small amount (the narrowest margin that a horse can win in a horse race)
There was a dispute as to who won the horse race but the judges settled the matter and declared that one of the horses had won the race by a nose.
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Numbers Idioms
953- all in one
- combined
I was able to use my car for travelling and sleeping all in one.
954- all rolled up in one
- combined
His brother is president and vice-president all rolled up in one.
955- at one time
- at a time in the past
At one time the man had no money but now he is very rich.
956- at one with someone
- share the same view as someone
The other members of the committee are at one with me over my decision to fire the lazy worker.
957- at sixes and sevens
- in a state of confusion
Everyone was at sixes and sevens after the announcement that the company was going out of business.
958- back to square one
- back to where one started
We were forced to go back to square one in our efforts to change the name of the company.
959- cut both/two ways
- be capable of having two opposite effects
My decision to complain to our boss could cut two ways and cause him to be pleased as well as angry at me.
960- dressed to the nines
- dressed in one's best clothes
The woman who we saw at the concert was dressed to the nines.
961- (I/you/he etc.) for one
- as one example
I for one do not believe that our president will really change the company policy related to hiring new staff.
962- for one thing
- for one reason (among others)
It is not possible to use the old building. For one thing it will not pass the fire regulations.
963- forty winks
- a short sleep during the day
As soon as I arrived home I lay down and had forty winks.
964- give three cheers for someone
- give praise or approval for someone who has done well
The crowd gave three cheers for the team after they won the final game.
965- great one for something
- a great enthusiast for something
My friend is a great one for staying up all night and watching horror movies.
966- hundred to one shot/chance
- a small chance not likely to bring success
He only has a hundred to one shot at getting the job that he has applied for.
967- hundred/thousand/million and one
- very/too many
I can think of a hundred and one reasons why the new employee is not capable of doing his job.
968- in two minds about something
- undecided
My niece is in two minds about whether or not she will come and visit me this summer.
969- in two shakes of a lamb's tail
- very quickly and without difficulty
Wait one minute. I will be able to help you in two shakes of a lamb's tail.
970- kill two birds with one stone
- achieve two aims with one effort/action
If you take the course now you may be able to kill two birds with one stone and receive credit for it on a future program.
971- new one on me
- something surprising that one did not know before
My friend's desire to go to London is a new one on me.
972- nine-day wonder
- someone/something who briefly attracts a lot of attention
The man was a nine-day wonder but soon was forgotten by most of the people at his former company.
973- nine times out of ten
- almost always
Nine times out of ten if you have a problem on the computer it is something small that can be easily fixed.
974- nine-to-five job/attitude
- a routine job in an office, attitude to life that reflects routine
He has a nine-to-five attitude and is not doing very well as a salesperson in his company.
975- number one (look after/take care of number one)
- oneself
His atitude is to always look after number one without thinking about anybody else.
976- on all fours
- on one's hands and knees
The man was down on all fours in the store looking for the keys to his car.
977- on cloud nine
- very happy
My sister has been on cloud nine since she won the new car in the contest.
978- one and only
- the only person or thing
The company has been selling the one and only compatible printer in the world.
979- one and the same
- exactly the same
Doing the job at home or at the company is one and the same to me so feel free to do what you want.
980- one by one
- individually, one at a time
The children entered the school building one by one and very quietly.
981- one for the road
- one last drink (of alcohol) before one leaves for home
We decided to stay at the party and have one for the road before taking a taxi home.
982- one good turn deserves another
- if someone helps you it is fair to help them in return
One good turn deserves another so we made a great effort to help those people who had helped us in the past.
983- one hell/heck of a something
- the emphasis that something is very good or bad
The residents of the town gave the Prime Minister one heck of a welcome when he visited them last winter.
984- one in a million
- a great or unique person
He is one of the finest coaches in the world and is definitely one in a million.
985- one of the boys
- an accepted member of a group
He always tries to act like one of the boys but in reality nobody really likes him.
986- one of these days
- soon, before long
One of these days they say that they will open a new movie theater but still we have been waiting many years.
987- one of those days
- a bad day where nothing goes right
It was one of those days and right from early morning things went wrong.
988- one of those things
- something is unfortunate but must be accepted
Her sudden illness is one of those things and there is nothing we can do about it.
989- one or two
- a few, a small number
There were only one or two people at the meeting so it was postponed until later.
990- (the) one that got away
- referring to a fish that you didn't catch or an opportunity that you missed
My father said that he had caught many fish but the biggest one was the one that got away.
991- one too many
- too much alcohol
The man drank one too many so his friends would not let him drive home.
992- one up on someone
- have an advantage over someone
I am one up on my best friend because he is still looking for a job while I have already found one.
993- one's lucky number comes up
- someone is lucky or has good fortune
My lucky number finally came up when I was chosen to go to Los Angeles in order to represent our company at the conference.
994- one's number is up
- something bad will happen to someone
I think that the manager's number is up and he will soon be fired from his job.
995- one's opposite number
- someone who has the same position as oneself in another company or organization
I spoke with my opposite number in the other company but he didn't agree with me about the new sales policy.
996- pull a fast one (on someone)
- cheat someone
They tried to pull a fast one on me at the car repair shop but I stopped them easily.
997- put two and two together
- make a correct guess
We were able to put two and two together and discover who was sending the unwanted E-mail.
998- quick one
- a single drink of alcohol taken before one does something else
We stopped for a quick one on the way home but stayed for more than an hour.
999- seventh heaven
- in a situation of great happiness
She has been in seventh heaven since she moved to the new department.
1000- six feet under
- dead and buried
My uncle has been six feet under for over five years now.
1001- six of one and a half dozen of the other
- there is little difference between two things/situations
Whatever you do is no problem for me. It is six of one and half a dozen of the other.
1002- (a) stitch in time saves nine
- any damage or mistake should be corrected immediately in order to prevent it getting worse
You should try and repair your car before it becomes worse. Remember, a stitch in time saves nine.
1003- ten to one
- very likely
I will make a bet that ten to one he comes to work late again today.
1004- there are no two ways about it
- there is no alternative
His boss told him that there are no two ways about it and he will have to change his habits or he will be fired.
1005- two can play that game
- you can also treat someone in the same way as they have treated you
The employees told the boss that two can play that game and if he was too strict they would also be inflexible at work.
1006- two heads are better than one
- it is better to work with another person to solve problems etc.
Two heads are usually better than one when you are trying to solve a difficult problem.
1007- two wrongs don't make a right
- you can't justify a wrong action by saying that someone else did the same thing to you
Two wrongs don't make a right and if someone does something bad to you you should not try and hurt them as well.
1008- two's company (three's a crowd)
- better to leave two people together than for a third person to interfere
My friend wanted to come along on the date with me and my girlfriend but I told him that two's company and three's a crowd so he stayed home.
1009- three R's
- the three basic skills from school - reading, (w)riting, (a)rithmetic
Many people believe that teaching the three R's is the most important role for schools.
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Negotiations Idioms
860- at stake
- something to be lost or gained
There was a lot at stake during the negotiations between the nurses and the government.
861- back down
- give up a claim, not follow up on a threat
The state government backed down on their threat to stop giving money to the city government.
862- back out
- get out of an agreement, fail to keep a promise
The real estate developer backed out of the negotiations for building the new city hall.
863- back to the drawing board
- go back to start something from the beginning
The negotiations for the contract failed so we had to go back to the drawing board.
864- ball is in someone's court
- be someone else's move or turn
The ball was in the union's court after the company made their final offer.
865- beat around the bush
- talk about things without giving a clear answer
The manager spent the meeting beating around the bush and never really said anything important.
866- bog down
- slow to a stop
The negotiations bogged down when the union said they would not negotiate over the issue of part-time workers.
867- bone of contention
- the subject or reason for a fight
The length of the project was a major bone of contention during the talks between the city and the developer.
868- break down
- fail, stop
The negotiations broke down late last night when both sides refused to compromise.
869- break off
- stop or end suddenly
The government decided to break off talks about extending the free trade agreement.
870- break through
- be successful after overcoming a difficulty
Finally there was a breakthrough in the talks aimed at ending the school teacher's strike.
871- bring off
- perform successfully
We were unable to bring off the deal to buy the new computer system for our company.
872- bring to terms
- make someone agree or do something
At first it seemed impossible for the two sides to settle their dispute but we were finally able to bring them to terms.
873- bring up
- begin a discussion of or mention something
I tried hard not to bring up the subject of sales commissions during the meeting.
874- call off
- stop, quit, cancel
The meeting was called off because everybody was busy dealing with other business.
875- call the shots
- be in charge
During the meeting it looked like the vice-president was calling the shots.
876- card up one's sleeve
- another plan or argument saved for later
I thought that the negotiations would be unsuccessful but my boss had another card up his sleeve that we didn't know about.
877- cave in
- weaken and be forced to give up
The company was forced to cave in to the demands of the workers for more money.
878- close ranks
- unite and fight together
During the meeting the opposite side closed ranks and refused to compromise on any issue.
879- come to terms
- reach an agreement
After negotiating all night the government and the company agreed on a new arrangement for sharing the costs of the water system.
880- come up
- become a subject for discussions or decision
Nothing related to the problems of quality came up during the meeting.
881- come up with
- produce or find a thought, idea or answer
I was praised by my boss when I came up with some good ideas during the meeting.
882- common ground
- shared beliefs or interests
There was little common ground between the two sides and the negotiations for the new machinery did not go well.
883- cover ground
- talk about the important facts and details of something
The number of questions seemed endless and we were unable to cover much ground during the meeting.
884- cut a deal
- arrange a deal, make an agreement
We were able to cut a deal and left the meeting in a positive mood.
885- cut (someone) off
- stop someone from saying something
We tried to outline our proposal but we were constantly cut off by our noisy opponents.
886- down to the wire
- running out of time, nearing a deadline
The negotiations continued down to the wire but finally they ended successfully.
887- drag on
- prolong, make longer
The talks between the company and the lawyers dragged on for three weeks.
888- drag one's heels
- act slowly or reluctantly
The government has been dragging their heels in talks with the union about their new contract.
889- draw the line
- set a limit to what will be done
The union was willing to compromise on the salary issue but they drew the line at talking about health benefits.
890- draw up
- put in writing, write something in its correct form
The lawyers drew up a contract for the new housing development on the government land.
891- drive a hard bargain
- make an agreement to one's advantage, bargain hard
The sales manager from the other company always drives a hard bargain and it is difficult to negotiate with him.
892- drive at
- mean, want to say something
I couldn't understand what the opposing negotiators in the meeting were really driving at.
893- face down
- confront boldly and win
The government decided to face down the striking transportation workers.
894- fall through
- fail, be ruined, not happen
The deal for the new machinery fell through and we will have to look for another supplier.
895- fifty-fifty
- equally, evenly
We shared the expenses with the other company fifty-fifty.
896- follow through
- finish an action that you have started
Our boss said that conditions and wages would improve soon but he never followed through with his promise.
897- force one's hand
- make someone do something or tell what one will do sooner than planned
We decided to force the hand of the opposing side at the bargaining sessions as we wanted to finish the negotiations quickly.
898- get behind (a person or idea)
- support, help
Although we didn't agreed with the president, we were forced to get behind his proposals at the meeting.
899- get down to business
- start working or doing the business at hand
We decided to get down to business and try to finish the work quickly.
900- get down to brass tacks
- begin the most important work or business
Let's get down to brass tacks and begin talking about the new contract.
901- get the message
- understand clearly what is meant
I don't think that the other side really got the message regarding the direction the negotiations were heading.
902- get to first base
- make a good start, succeed
We haven't been able to get to first base with the other side about the terms of the new contract.
903- get to the bottom of
- find out the real cause of something
It has been very difficult getting to the bottom of the problems in the company.
904- get to the heart of
- find the most important facts or central meaning of something
We spent the morning trying to get to the heart of the problem with the computer supplier.
905- give ground
- move back or retreat from a position
We bargained hard during the last month but the other sales representatives refused to give ground.
906- give in
- stop fighting or arguing and do as the other person wants
After eight weeks of negotiations we gave in and agreed to sell the machinery at a large discount.
907- give-and-take
- sharing, give up part of what you want to make an agreement
After a lot of give-and-take we finally reached an agreement regarding the property transfer.
908- go back on
- turn against, not be faithful or loyal
The company went back on their word to give the employees a salary increase.
909- go for broke
- risk everything on one big effort, try as hard as possible
After going for broke at the meeting last night we finally reached an agreement.
910- go over like a lead balloon
- fail to generate a positive response
The sales manager's latest proposal went over like a lead balloon at the meeting
911- go over well
- be liked or successful
My idea to increase the number of employee evaluations went over very well with the new managers.
912- hammer out
- work out by discussion and debate
The negotiations lasted all night and finally we were able to hammer out an agreement.
913- hang in the balance
- have two equally possible results, be uncertain
The outcome of the election hung in the balance after the two top candidates had the same number of votes.
914- hard-nosed
- very strict, stubborn
The three negotiatiors took a hard-nosed position during the talks for a new contract.
915- hold out for something
- keep resisting, refuse to give up
The union has been holding out for a better deal and they do not plan to end their strike.
916- hold out on
- refuse information or belongings to which someone has a right
The new manager has been holding out on the company and will not tell anyone his plans.
917- horse trade
- a business agreement or bargain arrived at after hard bargaining
After several hours of horse trading we finally reached an agreement to buy the new computers.
918- in the bag
- certain
The contract for the new insurance policies are in the bag.
919- iron out
- solve or resolve some problems
After reaching an agreement on the contract we spent a few hours ironing out the final details.
920- lay one's cards on the table
- let someone know one's position openly, deal honestly
He laid his cards on the table during the meeting to dispose of the excess inventory.
921- make headway
- make progress
We have been bargaining hard all week and are finally making headway in reaching a new agreement.
922- meet someone half-way
- compromise
The asking price for the chemicals was too high but we met the salesmen half-way and reached an agreement.
923- nail down
- make certain or sure
We worked hard to nail down an agreement to finish the staff room as soon as possible.
924- off the record
- not to be published or told, secret
I told my boss off the record that I would not be returning after the summer holiday.
925- paint oneself into a corner
- get into a bad situation that is difficult or impossible to escape
The negotiations were difficult but we won when the other side painted themselves into a corner over the faulty warranty policy.
926- play hardball with (someone)
- act strong and aggressive about an issue with someone
The union representatives have been playing hardball during the contract talks.
927- play into one's hands
- be or do something that another person can use against you
By losing his temper our manager played into the hands of the other side during the meeting.
928- pull off
- succeed in doing something difficult or impossible
The contract seemed impossible to win but we managed to pull it off through our skillful bargaining.
929- pull out of a hat
- get as if by magic, invent, imagine
We decided to give up on finding a solution to the problem but at the last moment we were able to pull a solution out of a hat.
930- put one's cards on the table
- let someone know one's position openly, deal honestly
It looked as if the meeting was going to fail so we put our cards on the table to give it one last try.
931- raw deal
- unfair treatment
The assistant sales manager was given a raw deal when he was forced to give up his position as chief negotiator.
932- reach a stalemate
- arrive at a position where no progress is made
The talks to buy the materials for the new computer labs reached a stalemate and it will be difficult to get them started again.
933- reach first base
- make a good start, succeed
We were unable to reach first base over the new pricing policy with our competitors.
934- read between the lines
- understand the meaning of something by guessing at what is left unsaid
The salesman didn't say exactly that he had no products available but we could read between the lines to see that he didn't have any.
935- set-back
- a delay or handicap
The bad weather was a major set-back in our efforts to get the material delivered on time.
936- smooth over
- make something seem better or more pleasant
We tried very hard to smooth over the problems between our boss and the president of the other company.
937- square one
- from the beginning
The meeting was a failure and we were forced to go back to square one.
938- stand one's ground
- maintain and defend one's position
Although our opponents during the negotiations were very aggressive we stood our ground and bargained very hard.
939- start/get the ball rolling
- start an activity or action, begin
We decided that it was time to get the ball rolling so we began the meeting at once.
940- stick to one's guns
- defend an action or opinion despite an unfavorable reaction
We stuck to our guns during the meeting and asked for more time to consider the proposal.
941- take sides
- join one group against another in a debate or quarrel
I was very careful not to take sides in the discussion regarding the new chemical prices.
942- talk into
- get someone to agree to something, persuade
We tried very hard but we were unable to talk the other members of our team into delaying the meeting until next week.
943- talk out of
- persuade not to do something
I tried to talk our vice-president out of offering a price that was too low but he wouldn't listen to me.
944- talk over
- discuss something
We asked for some time during the meeting to talk over the new proposals.
945- throw a curve
- mislead or deceive someone, lie
The purchasing department manager threw us a curve when he said that they wouldn't need any of our products until next year.
946- to the letter
- exactly, with nothing done wrong or left undone
The chief negotiator for the union followed the contract agreement to the letter.
947- trump card
- something kept back to be used to win success if nothing else works
Although we appeared to be very weak during the meeting we had some secret information as our trump card.
948- turn thumbs down on
- reject
The other negotiating team turned thumbs down on our wish to postpone the meeting until tomorrow.
949- under the wire
- at the very last moment
We were able to finish the necessary documents and send them off to the lawyers right under the wire.
950- water down
- change and make weaker
They tried to water down our proposal for the new quality control system.
951- wind up
- bring or come to an end, finish, stop
The meeting wound up about midnight and we were able to go home.
952- wrap up
- finish (a job)
We wrapped up the meeting early last night and went home for the weekend.
---------------------------
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Money Idioms
757- ante up
- pay, produce a necessary amount of money
I had to ante up a lot of money to get my car fixed.
758- at all costs
- at any expense of time, effort or money
He plans to go to school at all costs.
759- back on one`s feet
- return to good financial health
My sister is back on her feet after losing her job last year.
760- bet one`s bottom dollar
- bet all one has on something
I would bet my bottom dollar that the accounting manager will be late again today.
761- bet on the wrong horse
- base one`s plans on a wrong guess about the results of something
He is betting on the wrong horse if he continues to support the other candidate for mayor.
762- born with a silver spoon in one`s mouth
- born to wealth and comfort, born rich
The student in our history class was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and has never worked in his life.
763- bottom dollar
- one`s last dollar
He spent his bottom dollar on some new clothes to wear for his job interview.
764- bottom line
- line in a financial statement that shows net income or loss
The bottom line in the company's financial statement was much worse than expected.
765- bottom line
- final result, main point
The bottom line was that we were unable to attend the conference because of our busy schedule.
766- break even
- have income equal to expenses
Our company was able to break even after only six months of operation.
767- break the bank
- win all the money at a casino gambling table
He broke the bank at the casino and walked away with a lot of money.
768- bring home the bacon
- earn the family living
I have been working hard all month bringing home the bacon for my family.
769- burn a hole in one`s pocket
- money that one wishes or intends to spend quickly (often for something frivolous)
The money had been burning a hole in his pocket when he decided to go to the casino.
770- buy off
- give money to someone to stop them from doing their duty
They tried to buy off the politician but he refused to go along with their plan.
771- cash-and-carry
- selling something for cash only with no delivery
We were able to get a good price on a sofa in a cash-and-carry deal at the furniture store.
772- cash in
- exchange coupons or bonds for their value in money
I cashed in a large number of my savings bonds in order to get some money to buy a house.
773- cash in on
- make money from an opportunity
The former football player cashed in on his popularity to open a very successful restaurant.
774- cash in one`s chips
- exchange or sell something to get some money
I decided to cash in my chips to get some money to go back to school.
775- cash on the barrelhead
- money paid in cash when something is bought
I had to pay cash on the barrelhead for the used car.
776- caught short
- not have enough money when you need it
I was caught short and had to borrow some money from my father last week.
777- cheapskate
- a person who will not spend much money, a stingy person
My friend is a cheapskate and won't even go to a movie with me.
778- chicken feed
- a small amount of money
His son always wants to borrow money and says that it is only chicken feed but little by little it adds up to a lot of money.
779- chip in
- contribute money or pay jointly
Everyone in our company chipped in some money to buy a wedding present for our boss.
780- clean up
- make a lot of money, make a big profit
I cleaned up at the horse races last year and still have some of the money left.
781- cold hard cash
- cash, coins and bills
I paid for the stereo in cold hard cash.
782- cook the books
- illegally change information in accounting books in a company
The accountant was cooking the books for over a year before he was caught.
783- cut-rate
- sell for a price lower than usual
We went to a cut-rate furniture store to buy some new furniture for our apartment.
784- deadbeat
- person who never pays the money he owes
Recently the government has been making an effort to solve the problem of deadbeat dads who don't support their families.
785- dime a dozen
- easy to get and therefore of little value
Used computers are a dime a dozen and have very little value.
786- down and out
- have no money
My friend was down and out for several years before he got a job and started making money.
787- Dutch treat
- something where each person pays their own share
We went to the movie as a Dutch treat so it didn't cost me much money.
788- face value
- the worth or price printed on a stamp, bond, note or paper money etc.
The face value of the stamp was very low but in reality it was worth a lot of money.
789- fast buck
- money earned quickly and easily (and sometimes dishonestly)
The company tried to make a fast buck on the property but they actually lost a lot of money.
790- feel like a million dollars/bucks
- feel wonderful
Although I have been sick for a few weeks I feel like a million dollars today.
791- flat broke
- having no money, penniless
I am flat broke and don't even have enough money to pay my rent.
792- foot the bill
- pay
My sister is footing the bill for her daughter's education so she is making sure that she studies hard.
793- for a song
- at a low price, cheaply
We bought the car for a song and will try and sell it for a higher price.
794- fork over
- pay, pay out
I forked over a lot of money for the painting that is hanging on my wall.
795- for love or money (usually negative)
- for anything, for any price
I would not want to have to do that man's job for love or money.
796- go broke
- lose all one`s money, have no money
My uncle started a company last year but it quickly went broke.
797- gravy train
- getting paid more money than the job is worth
The job was a gravy train and I made a lot of money when I was there.
798- grease one`s palm
- give a tip, pay for a special favor or extra help, bribe
The government official was greasing his palm at his office until he was finally fired.
799- hand-out
- a gift of money (usually from the government)
After receiving hand-outs from the government for many years they finally had to make money on their own.
800- hand to mouth
- having only enough money for basic living
My friend has been living from hand to mouth since he lost his job.
801- hard up
- not have much money
His brother is hard up for money and always wants to borrow some.
802- have sticky fingers
- be a thief
The new employee has sticky fingers and many things in the store have disappeared.
803- highway robbery
- charge a high price for something
The amount of money that the company is charging for its services is highway robbery.
804- hit the jackpot
- make a lot of money suddenly
We hit the jackpot at the casino and came home with a lot of money.
805- in the black
- profitable, making money
Our company has been in the black since it was first started.
806- in the hole
- in debt, owing money
I think that we are going in the hole in our attempts to make our business prosper.
807- in the red
- unprofitable, losing money
The company has been in the red for several months now and will soon have to go bankrupt.
808- keep books
- keep records of money earned and spent
The accountant has been keeping careful books of all the transactions in the company.
809- kickback
- money paid illegally for favorable treatment
The politician received several illegal kickbacks and had to resign from his job.
810- lay away money
- save money
I am trying hard to lay away enough money to buy a house.
811- layaway plan
- a plan in which one pays some money as a downpayment and then pays a little more when one can and the store holds the article until the full price is paid
We brought our furniture on the layaway plan at the store.
812- lay out
- spend, pay
I had to lay out a lot of money to get my car fixed so now I don't have any money to go out.
813- live from hand to mouth
- live on little money
My friend has been living from hand to mouth on his savings from his last job.
814- live high off the hog
- have the best of everything, live in great comfort
My mother and father have been living high off the hog since they won the lottery.
815- loaded
- have lots of money
My uncle is loaded and always has lots of money.
816- lose one`s shirt
- lose all or most of one`s money
I lost my shirt in a business venture and now I have no money.
817- make a bundle
- make a lot of money
I made a bundle on the stock market and have since bought a house.
818- make a killing
- make a large amount of money
My sister made a killing when she worked overseas in the oil industry.
819- make a living
- earn enough money to live
If you want to make a good living it is necessary to get a good education.
820- make ends meet
- have enough money to pay one`s bills
I have been having trouble making ends meet because the rent for my apartment is too high.
821- make money hand over fist
- make money fast and in large amounts
My cousin has been making money hand over fist with her business.
822- money to burn
- very much money, more money than is needed
My aunt has money to burn and is always travelling somewhere.
823- nest egg
- money someone has saved up
I made a nice nest egg when I was working and I am now able to go to school.
824- on a dime
- in a very small space
I had to turn my car on a dime when I entered the parking lot.
825- on a shoestring
- with little money to spend, on a very low budget
He started his business on a shoestring but now it is very successful.
826- on the house
- paid for by the owner
We went to the restaurant and all of the refreshments were on the house.
827- pad the bill
- add false expenses to a bill
The plumber who was fixing our plumbing system was padding the bill so we got another plumber.
828- pass the buck
- make another person decide something, put the duty or blame on someone else
The foreman is always passing the buck and will never take responsibility for anything that he does.
829- pay an arm and a leg for something
- pay a high price for something
I paid an arm and a leg for my car but I am not very happy with it.
830- pay dirt
- a valuable discovery, the dirt in which much gold is found
We hit pay dirt when we got the rights to distribute the new product.
831- pay off
- pay and discharge from a job
The company paid off their employees and shut down for the winter.
832- pay-off
- bribe
The mayor received a pay-off and was forced to resign from his position.
833- pay through the nose
- pay at a very high price, pay too much
I paid through the nose when I had to buy gasoline in the small town.
834- penny for one`s thoughts
- tell someone what you are thinking about
"I will give you a penny for your thoughts", I said to my friend who was looking out of the window.
835- penny wise and pound foolish
- wise or careful in small things to the costly neglect of important things
My friend is penny-wise and pound foolish and economizes on small things but wastes all of his money on big things.
836- pick up the tab
- pay the bill
I picked up the tab for my sister and her three children at the restaurant.
837- piggy bank
- a small bank, sometimes in the shape of a pig for saving coins
The small boy saved up much money in his piggy bank.
838- pinch pennies
- be careful with money, be thrifty
My grandmother always pinches pennies and will never spend her money foolishly.
839- pony up
- pay
I had to pony up a lot of money to pay to get my car repaired.
840- put in one`s two cents
- give one`s opinion
I stood up in the meeting and put in my two cents before I was asked to sit down.
841- quick buck
- money earned quickly and easily (and sometimes dishonestly)
The company is only interested in making a quick buck and is not at all interested in quality.
842- rain check
- a promise to repeat an invitation at a later date
I decided to take a rain check and go to the restaurant another time.
843- rake in the money
- make a lot of money
We have been raking in the money at our restaurant and will soon be able to go on a long holiday.
844- red cent
- the smallest coin, a trivial sum of money
I wouldn't give a red cent for my neighbor's car.
845- salt away
- save money
My father's uncle salted away thousands of dollars before he died.
846- scrape together
- gather small amounts of money (usually with some difficulty) for something
We scraped together some money and bought a present for my mother.
847- set one back
- cost
My friend asked me how much my new coat had set me back.
848- shell out
- pay
My father shelled out a lot of money to get his house painted.
849- splurge on something
- spend more money than one might ordinarily spend
We decided to splurge and go to a nice restaurant for dinner.
850- stone broke
- having no money, penniless
His brother is stone broke and won't be able to come to the movie with us.
851- strapped for cash
- have no money available
I am strapped for cash at the moment so I won't be able to go with you on a holiday.
852- strike it rich
- become rich or successful suddenly or without expecting to
My grandfather struck it rich searching for gold but when he died he had no money.
853- take a beating
- lose money (usually a lot)
My friend took a beating on the stock market and has now stopped buying stocks..
854- tighten one`s belt
- live on less money than usual
We decided to tighten our belt and save up some money for a holiday.
855- two bits
- twenty-five cents, a quarter of a dollar
The newspaper was only two bits a copy.
856- (not worth) two cents
- almost nothing, something not important or very small
The car that my friend bought is not worth two cents.
857- two cents worth
- something one wants to say, opinion
I asked the president for his two cents worth but he didn't want to give us his opinion.
858- (not) worth a cent
- not worth anything, not of any value
That antique desk is not worth a cent although eveyone thinks it is very valuable.
859- worth one`s salt
- worth what one is paid
Our secretary is worth her salt and is a great asset to our company.
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Medical Idioms
720- at death's door
- very near death
The Prime Minister was at death's door after suffering a serious stroke.
721- back on one's feet
- physically healthy again
My mother is back on her feet again after being sick with the flu for two weeks.
722- black out
- lose consciousness, faint
The football player blacked out after being hit by the other player.
723- break out
- begin showing a rash or other skin disorder
I broke out in a terrible rash after eating the raw shrimp at the restaurant.
724- breathe one's last
- to die
The man finally breathed his last after a long illness.
725- bring around/round
- restore to health or consciousness, cure
The medical workers were able to bring the man around after the accident.
726- bring to
- restore to consciousness, wake from sleep/anesthesia/hypnosis/fainting etc
The woman was brought to soon after the car accident.
727- catch a cold
- get a cold
I caught a bad cold last week and had to miss three weeks of work.
728- catch one's death of cold
- become very ill (with a cold, flu etc.)
The little boy was told to be careful in the rain or he would catch his death of cold.
729- check-up
- a periodic inspection of a patient by a doctor
I went to have my annual check-up last week.
730- clean bill of health
- a report or certificate that a person or animal is healthy
The doctor gave me a clean bill of health when I visited him last month.
731- come down with
- become sick with, catch
My niece came down with a bad cold and was unable to visit me last week.
732- couch doctor
- a psychoanalyst who puts his patients on a couch
He was sent to see a couch doctor after his continued problems at work.
733- dose/taste of one's own medicine
- being treated in the same way as one treats others (usually a negative meaning)
Our boss got a taste of his own medicine when people began to ignore him as he had always done to them.
734- draw blood
- make someone bleed, get blood from someone
The doctor decided to draw some blood from the patient to check up on his blood sugar level.
735- fall ill
- become sick or ill
The man fell ill last winter and has not recovered yet.
736- feel on top of the world
- feel very healthy
I have been feeling on top of the world since I quit my job.
737- flare up
- to begin again suddenly (illness etc.)
My mother's skin problems flared up when she started to use the new laundry soap.
738- flare-up
- a sudden worsening of a health condition
His arthritus usually flares up every winter.
739- go under the knife
- be operated on in surgery
His wife went under the knife at the hospital last evening.
740- hang out one's shingle
- give public notice of the opening of a doctor's office etc.
The doctor decided to hang out his shingle as soon as he finished medical school.
741- have a physical (examination)
- get a medical check-up
Our company sent all the employees to have a physical last week.
742- head shrinker
- a psychiatrist
The man was told to go and see a head shrinker after he threatened the woman in the store several times.
743- just what the doctor ordered
- exactly what is needed or wanted
A nice hot bath was just what the doctor ordered.
744- look the picture of health
- be in good health
My uncle was looking the picture of health when I saw him last week.
745- on the mend
- healing, becoming better
My grandfather is on the mend after he broke his leg last week.
746- out cold
- unconscious, in a faint
As soon as the patient entered the operating room he was out cold because of the anesthesia.
747- over the worst
- recovering from an illness
My brother is over the worst since his skiing accident last month.
748- pull through
- recover from a serious illness
The car accident was very bad and I don't think that the driver will pull through.
749- run a temperature
- have a higher than normal body temperature
The little boy is running a temperature and should stay in bed all day.
750- run down
- get into poor condition
He was working very hard last month and has become very run down.
751- run some tests
- a doctor does some medical tests on a patient
The doctor has decided to run some tests on the patient.
752- splitting headache
- a severe headache
I have been suffering from a splitting headache all morning.
753- take a turn for the worse
- become sicker
My aunt took a turn for the worse last week and is still in the hospital.
754- take someone's temperature
- measure someone's body temperature
The nurse took my temperature when I went to the hospital yesterday.
755- throw up
- vomit
The woman threw up several times after eating the bad shellfish.
756- under the weather
- not feeling well
My boss has been feeling under the weather all week and has not come to work during that time.
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Initials
607- AA
- Alcoholic's Anonymous - a group that helps people recover from alcohol abuse
My boss has been going to AA meetings for over a year.
608- AD
- Anno Domini - used to mark time that comes after the commonly accepted beginning of the Christian era
The ancient city was founded in 125 AD.
609- AGM
- Annual General Meeting - the annual meeting of an organization
My sister attended the AGM of the condominium owners last night.
610- AI
- Artificial Intelligence - used for robots etc.
Several professors at our university have been researching AI for many years now.
611- AIDS
- Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome - a disease of the immune system
Recently the number of AIDS patients has been increasing rapidly in many countries.
612- AM
- Amplitude Modulation - a type of radio frequency
We don't listen to AM radio much because we don't like the songs that they play.
613- AOB
- Any Other Business - used in meetings etc.
The organizer of the meeting wrote AOB at the bottom of the meeting information sheet.
614- AOK
- great, doing well
He said that he was feeling AOK even after the truck had hit him.
615- APB
- All Point's Bulletin - used by the police when looking for a criminal
The police put out an APB on the men who had robbed the bank.
616- ASAP
- As Soon As Possible
Please finish the first draft of the letter and give it to me ASAP.
617- AWOL
- Absent Without Leave - often used in the military
The military police were searching the area for the soldier who had gone AWOL.
618- BA
- Bachelor of Arts - from a university
My brother has received a BA in economics from his university.
619- B&B
- Bed and Breakfast - a small inn or hotel that serves breakfast
My sister wants to open a small B&B when she quits her job.
620- B&E
- Break and Enter - a criminal act of breaking into a house or building to steal something
When I was going to university there was a B&E in my apartment.
621- BLT
- Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato - a type of sandwich
We went into the restaurant and ordered a BLT sandwich.
622- BO
- Body Odor - smell of sweat from the human body
The BO from the man in the elevator was very bad.
623- BS
- Bullshit - lies or other information that is false
We heard a lot of BS at the meeting last night which nobody believed.
624- BSc
- Bachelor of Science - from a university
My cousin has just received a BSc in computer science from his university.
625- BYOB
- Bring Your Own Bottle - used for a party or dinner where each person must bring something to drink
I decided to have a dinner party at my house next week and told everyone that it was BYOB.
626- CA
- Chartered Accountant
We went to see a CA in order to get our income tax finished on time.
627- CD
- Compact Disc
The price of CDs has recently begun to decrease.
628- CEO
- Chief Executive Officer
My uncle was the CEO of a large computer company.
629- CIA
- Central Intelligence Agency - US spy and security organization
The CIA was involved in the efforts to free the hostage air force pilot.
630- C/O
- Care Of - used when you want to send something to someone at the address of another person
I didn't know my friend's address so I sent a letter to him C/O another friend of mine.
631- COD
- Cash On Delivery - used when a delivery person receives cash when they deliver something
I decided to send away for some video cassettes and the company said that they would send them to me COD.
632- CPA
- Certified Public Accountant
The woman in our accounting department has been studying for her CPA exams for three months.
633- DIY
- Do-It-Yourself
I went to a DIY store and bought the materials to build a bed.
634- DJ
- Disc Jockey
My cousin worked in the summer as a disc jockey while he was going to university.
635- DNA
- Deoxyribonucleic Acid - main constituent of the chromosomes of all organisms
The large university has spent a lot of money in the study of DNA.
636- DUI
- Driving Under the Influence
The man was sent to jail for several months on a charge of DUI.
637- DVD
- Digital Video Disc
The sales of DVDs is increasing every year in most video stores.
638- ECG
- Electrocardiogram - an electronic test of a person's heart
My father was asked to take an ECG test by his doctor.
639- eg
- Exempli Gratia - the Latin which means for example
The company has hundreds of small factories around the world - eg Italy, Mexico, Thailand and Korea.
640- ER
- Emergency Room - the place in a hospital which deals with emergency situations
The victims of the accident were quickly taken to the ER.
641- ESL
- English as a Second Language
The ESL classes at the college have been held for almost ten years now.
642- ESP
- Extrasensory Perception
The movie was about a small boy who had the ability of ESP.
643- ETA
- Estimated Time of Arrival
What will your ETA be when you return home next month?
644- FBI
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
The killers were found in a nationwide search by the FBI.
645- FM
- Frequency Modulation - a type of radio signal
The radio station that we listen to regularly is an FM station.
646- FYI
- For Your Information
I wrote FYI on the information bulletin and sent it to the other members of the staff.
647- GI
- Government Issue - stamped on US military equipment and often means US soldier
The man went to the store and bought a GI Joe doll for his son.
648- GMT
- Greenwich Mean Time - a place in England used as the standard for time around the world
The rocket will be launched at 10:00 AM tomorrow GMT.
649- GNP
- Gross National Product - the total value of goods and services produced by a country in one year
The GNP of the country that I visited last year has been decreasing for several years.
650- GP
- General Practitioner - a general doctor
I went to see a GP when I broke my leg last summer.
651- HIV
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus
The rate of HIV infection among drug users is very high.
652- HQ
- Headquarters
The HQ of the company is located in a small town in Korea.
653- IMF
- International Monetary Fund - an international agency that works to stabilize currencies etc.
The IMF imposed very strict currency guidelines that many people were opposed to.
654- IOU
- I Owe You - a signed paper saying that you owe money to someone
I gave my friend an IOU when I bought his stereo.
655- IQ
- Intelligence Quotient - a measure of a person's intelligence
The IQ of the new student is very high.
656- JP
- Justice of the Peace
They went to a JP when they decided to get married.
657- KO
- Knockout
The boxer won the match in the fifth round by a KO.
658- LLB
- Bachelor of Laws
My brother received his LLB and will begin to practice law next week.
659- LP
- Long-Playing Record
I recently decided to give all of my old LPs to a charity.
670- LPG
- Liquid Petroleum Gas
The truck carrying LPG was in an accident on the highway last night.
671- MA
- Master of Arts
My cousin's wife has recently decided to study for her MA in economics.
672- MIA
- Missing In Action
According to some people in the United States there are still some MIA soldiers in Vietnam.
673- MC
- Master of Ceremonies
My cousin was the MC for my sister's wedding.
674- MD
- Doctor of Medicine
She received her MD when she was 26 years old and has been practicing medicine since then.
675- MP
- Member of Parliament - used in the United Kingdom and Canada etc.
There were several MPs at the restaurant where we had dinner.
676- MP3
- MPEG-1 audio layer 3 - a method to compress digital audio
The three students listened to their MP3 players as they worked in the computer lab.
677- MSc
- Master of Science
The woman has an MSc in computer science and has been able to find a job easily.
678- NASA
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration - the US space organization
According to a spokesperson for NASA the rocket will be launched next week.
679- NATO
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization
The members of NATO are gathering for an important meeting next month in Brussels.
680- NB
- Nota Bene - Latin for take notice or note well
Our teacher told us to memorize the information in our text that is marked NB.
681- OAP
- Old Age Pensioner
At first I could not understand why I couldn't get the discount that was for OAPs only. Later I realized it was for senior citizens.
682- OAU
- Organization of African Unity
The OAU is working very hard to promote free trade between its various countries.
683- OD
- Overdose - on drugs
The man died because of a drug OD.
684- OR
- Operating Room - in a hospital
Before entering the OR the doctors carefully washed their hands.
685- PA
- Public Address System
Every morning the children listened to the latest school information over the PA.
686- PC
- Politically Correct - language that is not harmful or insulting to others
The university had a very strict policy that says that all material published in the school newspaper must be PC.
687- PC
- Personal Computer
The PC industry has been growing rapidly in recent years.
688- PE
- Physical Education
My PE class was held indoors during the winter months.
689- Phd
- Doctor of Philosophy
After receiving his Phd in history my friend was able to get a job at a university.
690- PLO
- Please Leave On - used when you want to leave something on a blackboard or whiteboard
Although the teacher wrote PLO on the blackboard the information was erased during the lunch break.
691- PM
- Post Meridiem - Latin for after noon
The meeting started at exactly 1:00 PM.
692- POW
- Prisoner of War
The negotiations regarding POWs continued for many years after the Vietnam war.
693- PR
- Public Relations
With good PR the politician was able to easily gain the support of many people.
394- PS
- Postscript - written at the end of a letter when you want to add some extra information
After finishing the main part of the letter I wrote PS to include something very important that I had forgotten.
695- PTA
- Parent-Teacher Association
We got home late last night after attending our son's PTA meeting.
696- PTO
- Please Turn Over - written on a piece of paper to tell someone to look at the other side
I wrote PTO on the last page of my essay to make sure that the professor would look at the last page.
697- RCMP
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police - Canada's national police force
The movie was about the RCMP and it took place in northern Canada.
698- RIP
- Rest In Peace - used when talking about someone who is dead or sometimes written on a gravestone
At the end of the movie RIP was written on the gravestone of the main character who had been killed.
699- RSVP
- Respondez S'il Vous Plait - French for please reply
The invitation said RSVP so I quickly sent off a note to say that I would be able to attend the party.
700- SOB
- Son Of a Bitch - a swear word used in anger or when you want to insult someone
The man called me a SOB when I drove in front of him in the parking lot.
701- SOS
- international code signal of distress, call for help
The sinking ship had been sending out an SOS signal but still nobody was able to come to their rescue.
702- TA
- Teaching Assistant
After leaving university he was able to get a job as a TA at the junior college.
703- TB
- Tuberculosis
For various reasons the number of TB cases has been increasing around the world recently.
704- TBA
- To Be Announced - used when something will be announced later
I looked in the television guide to see what the 7:00 movie would be but it only said TBA.
705- TGIF
- Thank Goodness (God) It's Friday
The restaurant had a large TGIF sign on the door and all drinks were half price.
706- TKO
- Technical Knockout
Although the boxer didn't appear to win the fight he was awarded a TKO and won the boxing match.
707- TLC
- Tender Loving Care
With lots of TLC the house plants did very well under my sister's care.
708- TP
- Toilet Paper
I went to the store and bought several rolls of TP.
709- UFO
- Unidentified Flying Object
The number of UFO sightings has increased dramatically recently.
710- UV
- Ultraviolet - a type of light ray
We used lots of sunscreen in order to protect ourselves from UV rays.
711- VCR
- Video Cassette Recorder
We bought a new VCR after our old one began to have problems.
712- VDU
- Video Display Unit
The VDU at work was beginning to cause problems with my eyes so I went to an eye doctor.
713- VHF
- Very High Frequency
The television wasn't working because of a problem with the VHF connection.
714- VIP
- Very Important Person
The football player was given the VIP treatment when he went to visit his hometown.
715- VP
- Vice-President
After serving faithfully as vice-president for many years my father was appointed to the position of company president.
716- VTR
- Video Tape Recorder
The VTR in the classroom was missing because someone was using it for a meeting.
717- WC
- Water Closet - toilet
As soon as we entered the park we went directly to the sign that said WC.
718- YMCA
- Young Men's Christian Association
The English classes at the YMCA were recommended to the students last year.
719- YWCA
- Young Women's Christian Association
My friend stayed at the YWCA when she visited New York City last summer.
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Heart Idioms
583- after one`s own heart
- well-liked for agreeing with one`s own feelings, interests and ideas
My new boss loves to go fishing every weekend. He is a man after my own heart.
584- at heart
- in spite of, in reality
He seems to be very angry all the time but at heart he is a very gentle person.
585- break one`s heart
- make very sad or hopeless
It broke my heart to see the woman fall down during the race after she had tried so hard.
586- change of heart
- a change in the way one feels about something
I had a change of heart about not going to Europe for my holiday and finally decided to go.
587- cross one`s heart and hope to die
- say that what one has said is surely true (often used by children)
"I promise that I will meet you tomorrow. Cross my heart and hope to die."
588- eat one`s heart out
- grieve long and hopelessly for something, want something
"You can eat your heart out but I won`t give you a piece of this chocolate bar."
589- from the bottom of one`s heart
- with great feeling, sincerely
My sister thanked the man from the bottom of her heart for saving her dog`s life.
590- from the heart
- sincerely, honestly
The President gave a speech from the heart after the terrible earthquake.
591- get to the heart of (a matter)
- understand the most important thing about something
It took a long time but we finally got to the heart of the matter about the new employee.
592- heart goes out to
- one feels very sorry for, one feels sympathy for
My heart goes out to the victims of the hurricane that recently struck.
593- heart is in the right place
- kindhearted, sympathetic or well-meaning
Although she makes a lot of mistakes her heart is in the right place.
594- heart of gold
- a kind, generous or forgiving nature
My grandmother has a heart of gold and is always willing to help a stranger.
595- heart of stone
- a nature without pity
The man who murdered his wife and children has a heart of stone.
596- heart skips a beat
- be startled or excited from surprise, joy or fright
My heart skipped a beat when I saw my name on the television screen.
597- heart stands still
- be very frightened or worried
My heart stood still when the truck on the highway almost hit our car.
598- heart-to-heart
- speaking freely and seriously about something private
I had a heart-to-heart talk with my girlfriend last evening.
599- heavy heart
- a feeling of being weighed down with sorrow, unhappiness
We left the meeting with a heavy heart when we heard that our boss would soon have to leave the company because of illness.
600- lose heart
- feel discouraged because of failure, lose hope of success
I tried not to lose heart even though I had failed my driver`s exam for the second time.
601- open one`s heart
- talk about one`s feelings honestly, confide in someone
She suddenly opened her heart when I began talking to her on the bus.
602- search one`s heart/soul
- study one`s reasons and acts, try to discover if one has been fair and honest
I spent a lot of time searching my soul in order to try and find out why my girlfriend had left me.
603- set/have one`s heart set on
- want very much
I had my heart set on getting a dog for my birthday when I was a child but I never got one.
604- take heart
- be encouraged, feel braver and want to try
He took heart in the fact that his son was still going to school even though he was failing most of his courses.
605- wear one`s heart on one`s sleeve
- show one`s feelings openly
After the going away party the salesman was wearing his heart on his sleeve.
606- with all one`s heart
- with great feeling, sincerely
I tried with all my heart to get my friend to go with me for a holiday but he wouldn`t come.
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Head/Mind/Mouth Idioms
507- absent-minded
- forgetful
Our neighbor is very absent-minded and is always getting locked out of his house.
508- armed to the teeth
- fully armed, having many weapons
The robbers were armed to the teeth when they robbed the bank.
509- at or on the tip of one`s tongue
- at the point of being said, almost remembered
My former teacher's name is on the tip of my tongue and I will soon remember it.
510- bad-mouth
- say bad things about someone
The football players are always bad-mouthing their coach.
511- beat into one`s head
- teach by telling again and again, drill
I have been trying to beat the history material into the student's head.
512- beat one`s brains out
- tire oneself out by thinking too much
I have been beating my brains out all day trying to remember who we should invite to the party.
513- beat one`s head against a wall
- struggle uselessly against something, not succeed after trying very hard
You are beating your head against the wall trying to figure out what the new boss wants.
514- big head
- too high an opinion of one's own ability or importance, conceit
He has a big head since he won the speech contest at university.
515- blow one`s mind
- become wildly enthusiastic over something as if understanding it for the first time in an entirely new light
My friend told me that if I read the new book it would blow my mind.
516- blue in the face
- very angry or upset, excited and very emotional
He argued with the supervisor until he was blue in the face.
517- boggle the mind
- stop the normal thinking process by being fantastic or incredible, unbelievable
It really boggles the mind when you think how quickly the Internet began to have a major impact on people's lives.
518- born with a silver spoon in one`s mouth
- born to wealth and comfort, born rich
The boy was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and has never had to work at all in his life.
519- bonehead
- an unusually dense or stupid person
He is such a bonehead. He never understands what other people are trying to tell him.
520- brain drain
- the loss of talented and educated people of one country to other countries where conditions are better
There is a brain drain from many countries to the United States where some conditions are very good.
521- button one`s lip
- stop talking, keep a secret, be quiet
Please button your lip so that we can hear what the speaker is saying.
522- by the skin of one`s teeth
- by a narrow margin, barely
We were able to catch the train by the skin of our teeth.
523- by the sweat of one`s brow
- by hard work
He built up the business by the sweat of his brow.
524- by word of mouth
- orally, from person to person by the spoken word
I learned that there would be a holiday next week by word of mouth.
525- cat get`s one`s tongue
- one is not willing to talk because of shyness
The cat seemed to have gotten her tongue and she was not able to say anything.
526- cheek by jowl
- side by side, close together
The boxes were placed in the room cheek by jowl and nothing else could fit in.
527- cross one`s mind
- be a sudden or passing thought, come to one's mind
It suddenly crossed my mind that the store would be closed all day on Monday.
528- curl one`s hair
- shock, frighten, horrify
The movie is very realistic and many of the scenes will curl your hair.
529- foam at the mouth
- be very angry (like a mad dog)
The girl's father was so angry that he was almost foaming at the mouth.
530- get through one`s head
- understand or believe
It was difficult to get it through the bank manager's head that I didn't want to borrow any more money.
531- give someone a piece of one`s mind
- scold angrily, say what one really thinks to someone
I gave the store manager a piece of my mind when I told him about the broken product.
532- go to one`s head
- make someone too proud, make a person think that he or she is too important
I think that his new job has gone to his head and he thinks that he is better than everyone else.
533- go to one's head
- make one dizzy
The alcohol quickly went to his head and he had to sit down for awhile.
534- hair stands on end
- the hair of one's head rises because of fright
My hair stood on end when I saw the large dog run out and begin to bark at me.
535- have rocks in one`s head
- be stupid, not have good judgement
He must have rocks in his head if he thinks that I am going to lend him any more money.
536- head above water
- out of difficulty, clear of trouble
My brother has been having a hard time keeping his head above water since he lost his job.
537- head-hunting
- search for qualified individuals to fill certain positions
The company has been head-hunting for many months in order to try and find a new president.
538- head-on
- with the head or front pointing at something, with the front facing something
There was a head-on crash last night near our house that left three people dead.
539- head over heels
- upside down, head first
The little boy fell head over heels in love with the girl in his class.
540- head shrinker
- psychiatrist
When I was a child my next door neighbor was a head shrinker.
541- hide/bury one`s head in the sand
- keep from seeing, knowing or understanding something dangerous or unpleasant, refuse to see or face something
His father always buries his head in the sand and never wants to deal with any problems.
542- hold one`s tongue
- be silent, not talk
"Please hold your tongue", the teacher said to the young boy.
543- in one`s face
- abruptly, unexpectedly
The plan to have a going away party for our boss blew up in our face when we heard he would not attend.
544- in one`s hair
- bothering one, always annoying someone
My sister's small son is always in her hair when she is making dinner.
545- keep a stiff upper lip
- be brave, face trouble bravely
We managed to keep a stiff upper lip when the company announced that they would close down our office.
546- keep one`s chin up
- be brave, be determined, face trouble with courage
My brother is trying to keep his chin up even though he has lost his job.
547- keep one`s head
- stay calm when there is trouble or danger
Everyone tried to keep their head during the fire at the hotel.
548- keep one`s mouth shut
- be or stay silent
I tried hard to keep my mouth shut during the salesman's speech.
549- leave a bad taste in one`s mouth
- make a bad impression, make or feel disgusted
The way that the company treated the workers left a bad taste in our mouth.
550- let one`s hair down
- act freely and naturally, relax
We were able to let our hair down at the party and have a good time.
551- lip service
- support for something shown by words but not by actions
The politician paid lip service to the proposal to build a new subway system but he didn't really want one.
552- long face
- a sad or disappointed look
He had a long face after he was fired from his job.
553- lose face
- be embarassed or ashamed by an error or failure, lose self-respect
The manager lost face when the person that she hired to help her was useless as a worker.
554- loudmouth/bigmouth
- a noisy, boastful or foolish talker
My friend is a loudmouth and is always making foolish plans that he never carries out.
555- make head or tail of something (usually negative)
- find meaning in , understand
I was unable to make head nor tail of our company's plans to restructure our department.
556- make one`s mouth water
- look or smell very good, make one want to eat or drink something one sees or smells
The smell of the fish cooking in the restaurant made my mouth water.
557- make up one`s mind
- choose what to do, decide
I have still not been able to make up my mind as to whether or not to return to school.
558- melt in one`s mouth
- be so tender as to seem to need no chewing, taste very good
The pasta served at the new restaurant melted in our mouth.
559- off the top of one`s head
- without thinking hard, quickly
I was unable to remember the name of the restaurant off the top of my head.
560- on/upon one`s head
- on one's self
The little boy brought the anger of his parent's upon his head.
561- out of one`s hair
- get rid of a nuisance or annoyance
My sister wants to get her daughter permanently out of her hair.
562- over one`s head
- not understandable, beyond one's ability to understand
The mathematics lectures went over my head during the first few weeks.
563- pick the brains of
- get ideas or information about something by asking an expert
We picked the brains of the official who was sent to talk about the pollution problem.
564- put one`s foot in one`s mouth
- get into trouble by saying something embarassing or rude
My colleague put his foot in his mouth when he told everyone that he didn't like the new manager.
565- put our heads together
- confer, discuss, talk
We put our heads together with the other members of the department to try and find a solution to the problem.
566- put (something or someone) out of one's head/mind
- try to forget someone or something
I was forced to put my holidays out of my head when we had the emergency problems at our company.
567- put words into one`s mouth
- say without proof that another person has certain feelings or opinions
My boss was putting words into my mouth when he told me what he thought that I wanted to do.
568- rack one`s brain
- try one's best to think, make a great mental effort
I racked my brain for over an hour to try and figure out what to do about the problem with the new computer.
569- ram (something) down someone's throat
- force one to do or agree to something not wanted
The lawyer rammed the settlement down our throats even though we were not happy with it.
570- save face
- save one's good reputation, popularity or dignity when something has happened to hurt him or her
The government was unable to save face after they failed to reach an agreement with the union over pension benefits.
571- say a mouthful
- say something of great importance or meaning, say more by a sentence than the words usually mean
The little boy said a mouthful when he began to talk about the complicated history material.
572- sink (get) one`s teeth into something
- have something real or solid to think about, struggle with
I was finally able to sink my teeth into the problem and began to find a solution.
573- slap in the face
- insult
The fact that an extreme candidate won the election was a slap in the face to the moderate voters.
574- slip of the tongue
- the mistake of saying something one had not wanted or planned to say, an error of speech
I made a slip of the tongue when I told the woman who everyone hates that we would have a party.
575- split hairs
- find and argue about small and unimportant differences
My boss is always splitting hairs when I try and talk to him about something important.
576- swelled head
- a feeling that one is very important or more important than one really is
My sister has a swelled head since she got the new job that many people had applied for.
577- take it on the chin
- be badly beaten or hurt, get into trouble
He was forced to take it on the chin when he got into the fight with the man at the store.
578- take the words out of one`s mouth
- say what another was just going to say, put another's thoughts into words
He took the words right out of my mouth when he said that he wanted to go and get something to eat.
579- tooth and nail
- fiercely, fighting as hard as possible
We fought tooth and nail to get the new wing of the hospital opened.
580- turn the other cheek
- let someone do something to one and not do it in return, not hit back when hit
We were told in school that we should always turn the other cheek when we were attacked by someone.
581- up to the chin in
- very busy with, working hard at, having very much or many of
She has been up to her chin all morning in work to try and get ready for the party.
582- use one`s head
- use one's brain or mind, think, have common sense
Sometimes I think that the manager of the video store never uses her head at all when you ask her a question.
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Food Idioms
460- apple of one`s eye
- someone or something that one likes a lot
The little girl is the apple of her grandfather`s eye.
461- back to the salt mines
- back to work, humorous expression to express going back to unpleasant work
"Well, lunch is over so let`s go back to the salt mines for the afternoon."
462- bad egg
- a bad person, bum
That man is a bad egg so you should try and avoid him if you can.
463- big cheese
- an important person, a leader
He is a big cheese in his company so you should be very nice to him.
464- bread and butter
- basic needs of life (food,shelter,clothing)
The voters are worried about bread and butter issues like jobs and taxes.
465- bring home the bacon
- earn your family`s living
Recently he has been working very hard trying to bring home the bacon. He has no time to do anything else.
466- butter up
- flatter someone to try to get their favor or friendship
He spends most of his free time trying to butter up his boss so that he won`t have to work so hard.
467- carrot and stick
- promising to reward and punish someone at the same time
The government took a carrot and stick approach to the people who were illegally protesting against the construction of the dam.
468- chew the fat
- chat
We stayed up very late last night chewing the fat about our university days.
469- coffee break
- a break from work to rest and drink coffee
We usually take a 15-minute coffee break every morning about 10 o`clock.
470- cool as a cucumber
- calm, not nervous or anxious
He is always as cool as a cucumber and never worries about anything.
471- cream of the crop
- best of a group, the top choice
The company is well-known as a good place to work and is always able to hire the cream of the crop of university graduates.
472- cry over spilt milk
- cry or complain about something that has already happened
You shouldn't cry over spilt milk. The past is past and you can`t do anything to change it.
473- cup of tea
- something one enjoys or does well (usually used in the negative)
Going to art galleries is not my cup of tea so I think that I will stay home this evening and not go with you.
474- cut the mustard
- succeed, do adequately what needs to be done
He wasn`t able to cut the mustard so he had to leave the army after only one year.
475- duck soup
- a task that doesn`t require much effort
It was duck soup. I was able to finish everything early last night.
476- eat crow
- admit one is mistaken or defeated, take back a mistaken statement
I was forced to eat crow and had to apologize for the mistake that I made about the restructuring of our company.
477- eat dirt
- act humble, accept another`s insult or bad treatment
We made him eat dirt after he accused us of lying about the salary cut.
478- eat humble pie
- be humbled, admit one`s error and apologize
Our boss was forced to eat humble pie after everyone realized that he had made the wrong budget estimate for next year.
479- eat one`s cake and have it too
- use or spend something and still keep it
He refuses to give up anything and always wants to eat his cake and have it too.
480- eat one`s words
- take back something one has said, admit something is not true
I told my boss that I would be quitting but later I had to eat my words and tell him that I wanted to stay.
481- egg on
- urge someone on
Many people at the football game were egged on by the drunken fans.
482- finger in the pie
- participate in something that is happening
He always tries to keep his finger in the pie so that he can control everything.
483- full of beans
- feel energetic, in high spirits
She is full of beans tonight and doesn`t want to stop talking.
484- gravy train
- a job or work that pays more than it is worth
For many years his job was a real gravy train but now the company has become very strict and will not pay overtime.
485- half-baked
- not thought out or studied carefully
He has a half-baked idea about starting a new business but most of us think that it will fail.
486- hand to someone on a silver platter
- give a person something that has not been earned
His education was handed to him on a silver platter and now he is very spoiled and selfish.
487- hard nut to crack
- something or someone difficult to understand or do
He is a very serious person and is a very hard nut to crack.
488- (get or) have egg on one`s face
- be embarassed
He has egg on his face because everyone knows that he was sick at the party.
489- hit the sauce
- drink alcohol (usually regularly)
I think that she has begun to hit the sauce since her husband lost his job.
490- hot potato
- a question or argument that is controversial and difficult to settle
The issue of building the nuclear power plant is a real hot potato for the local town council.
491- in a nutshell
- briefly, in a few words
We went to the meeting and they told us in a nutshell what would be happening to everyone next year.
492- in the soup
- in serious trouble, in disorder
She is really in the soup now. She told her boss that she was sick but he saw her downtown shopping.
493- make one`s mouth water
- look or smell very good, want to eat or drink very much
The restaurant is supposed to be wonderful and every time that I see the menu it makes my mouth water.
494- nutty as a fruitcake
- crazy
He is a very nice man but he acts strange sometimes and I often think that he is as nutty as a fruitcake.
495- out of the frying pan and into the fire
- go from something bad to something worse
She quit the job because of some small problems but she has jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire because now her problems are much worse.
496- out to lunch
- crazy, mad
She is totally out to lunch and you should never believe what she tells you.
497- piece of cake
- a task that is easily accomplished
It was a piece of cake. I had everything done before lunch this morning.
498- polish the apple
- flatter someone
Nobody likes her because she is always trying to polish the apple with her teacher.
499- souped up
- change something to make it faster or more powerful by changing or adding something
The new car that his neighbor bought is a souped up model of the one that he had last year.
500- salt away
- save money
He has been working there for seven years and has been able to salt away quite a lot of money.
501- sell like hotcakes
- sell quickly or rapidly
The new CD has only been released for about a week but already it is selling like hotcakes.
502- spill the beans
- tell a secret to someone who is not supposed to know about it
Please don`t spill the beans about my plans to quit working and go back to school next year.
503- stew in one`s own juice
- suffer from something that one has caused to happen
He is the one who caused the problem for himself and he is now being forced to stew in his own juice.
504- take with a grain of salt
- accept or believe only part of something
You should take everything that he says with a grain of salt as everyone knows that he likes to exaggerate things when he is speaking.
505- upset the applecart
- ruin a plan or event by surprise or accident
Everything was going well at the company gathering until he came along and upset the apple cart.
506- worth one`s salt
- being a good worker, worth what one is paid
He has only been working here for a month but over and over he has proved that he is worth his salt.
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English learning, English teaching, Intensive courses, TOEFL iBT, IELTS, TOEFL writing samples, IELTS writing samples, Improve listening, Improve speaking, skills, samples, nosrat learning system,Iran-canada, English institutes, English institutions, Tehran IELTS, Sanjesh IELTS, English CDs, ESL/EFL students of English, TESOL, Top Tips, kish air, kish, safir, download FREE English books, online google dictionary, Google translate, translation, TOEFL in Iran, IELTS in Iran, English teachers, Teachers Guide, Crash classes, downloadable materials, SOQ XLC learning system, NBE learning, Iran Mehr institute, Iran Australia institute, immigration, traveling abroad, Respina Talk, Iran Canada, IELTS hints, FREE samples, how to write in introduction, conclusion, environmental issues, vocabulary, common mistakes, English idioms, English expressions, education.
