Idiom Corner

1. swallow one's words
 admit that you were wrong
I swallowed my words when he was admitted to the military force

2. bark up the wrong tree
doing the wrong thing
The police are barking up the wrong tree if they think Kartika stole the car - she can't drive

3. see the error of your ways
 understand that what they are doing is wrong and accept to change their behaviour
 He talked to a counselor who tried to make him see the error of his ways

4. wide of the mark
incorrect or inadequate; it is not what was expected
The points I've gotten was wide of the mark. I thought that I will get 80 points mark in this test, but I got only 63
 
5. eat one's words
admit that your were mistaken in what you said
After predicting disastrous results, she had to eat his words when she saw the success of the new product

6. overshoot the mark
make a mistake as a result of misjudging something
I overshoot the mark about 30 points

7. swallow one's pride
accept something humiliating or embarrassing
When my sister failed the exam, she had to swallow her pride and repeat the course

8. back the wrong horse
support the wrong person
When I voted for him I was convinced he would win, but I backed the wrong horse!

9. eat crow
admit that you were wrong about something and apologize
He had no option but to eat crow and admit that his analysis was wrong

10. botch up
spoil something; make mess of something; doing a job badly

I tried to assemble the new desk, but I botch it up

By : Yunita Indriana

1. clinch a deal
reach the agreement
Agus' final argument made us to clinch the deal

2. gentleman's agreement
agreement is neither signed nor written, both parties trust each other completely
It was a gentleman's agreement. You can't change your mind now!

3. sign on the dotted line
formally give consent to something by signing an official document  
She consulted with her lawyer before signing on the dotted line

4. no strings attached
something is offered without any special conditions 
I managed to get a loan with no strings attached

5. square deal
a transation that is fair and honest
We've used the same supplier for years and we always get a square deal.

6. with one voice
two or more groups or organizations who are in complete agreement
For once the government and the trade unions are speaking with one voice

7. in black and white
have written proof of some agreement
Well, it is your own obligation. It's already in black and white in your contract

8. a done deal
an agreement or decision which has been reached on a certain matter
We're still considering several proposals, so it's not a done deal yet

9. a matter of form
do something out of politeness; accepted practice or the usual way of doing something 
I know we're in agreement, but I need your signature as a matter of form

10. signed, sealed and delivered
all the legal documents have been signed
It is hoped that the agreement will be signed, sealed and delivered before the end of the week

By : Yunita Indriana

1. dressed up to the nines
wearing very smart or glamorous clothes
She dressed up to the nines
 
2. cut a dash
 striking impression by their appearance and attractive clothes
I never thought that he looks so handsome. He really cuts a dash
 
3. down at heel
appearance is untidy or neglected because of lack of money
The down at heel student became a famous superstar now

4. dressed to kill
wearing very fashionable or glamorous clothes intended to attract attention
She arrived at the reception dressed to kill

5. deck out
dress or decorate in a special way
Febry decked out his bicycle for the occasion

6. face only a mother could love
a humoristic way of saying that someone is ugly or unattractive
Many told him that he has face only a mother could love. What a poor guy
 
7. not a hair out of place
 perfect appearance
Julfanida is always dressed perfectly - never a hair out of place!

8. pretty as a picture
 very attractive or appealing in appearance
She is really pretty as a picture with her new dress
 
9. skin and bone
very thin; too thin
She's not that big-eater. Now she's all skin and bone
 
10. thin on the top
 losing hair; going bald
Uncle is gone a bit thin on the top in the last few years.

By : Yunita Indriana 

1. out of the blue
unexpectedly and causes a surprise
My friend confessed to me out of the blue

2. do a double take
looks again in surprise at something unexpected
She did a double take when she saw her mark on the wall

3. drop a bombshell
make an unexpected announcement which will greatly change a situation
He drops a bombshell when he said that he loves another men

4. jump out of one's skin
extremely surprised or shocked
Sherly jumps out of her skin when she realized that her son's played with her lipstick
 
5. knock down with feather
emphasizes the fact that you were extremely surprised
When I heard the name of the winner, you could have knocked me down with a feather!

6. rooted to the spot
so shocked, surprised or scared that you are unable to move
He stood rooted to the spot as the plane landed on the water

7. stop dead in tracks
stop suddenly because you are totally surprised or frightened
She saw the murder scene in front of her and stopped dead in her tracks

8. wonders will never cease
express pleasure or surprise at something
The price of meat has dropped! Wonders will never cease
 

9. struck dumb
unable to speak because they are so surprised, shocked or frightened by something
I was struck dumb when he said that the project failed.
 
10. jaw drops
show total amazement
Her jaw dropped when I said that she's the winner

By : Yunita Indriana 

1. asking for trouble
behaving so stupidly that makes you likely to have problems
Stop driving so recklessly! You just asking for trouble
 
2. back to the wall
in serious difficulty
That company has their back to the wall
 
3. bane of one's life
cause of problems or unhappiness
The computer broke. It's bane of my life
 
4. ball and chain
burden or problem that ties you down and prevents you from doing what you want; spouse
Those home works are ball and chain for my holiday

5. alarm bells ringing
shows that there may be a problem
Alarm bells started to ring when my neighbor didn't open her window all day and didn't answer her phone

6. can of worms
complicated, unpleasant and difficult situation to deal with
They discover the transfer of funds. This will turned out to be a real can of worms

7. bite off more than one's can chew
 try to do something that is too difficult; more than you can manage
He tried to take all those language classes. I think that he bit off more than he can chew

8. break the back of the beast
succeed in overcoming a major difficulty
After hours of effort, the surgeon finally broke the back of the beast and save a life of that young girl

9. face the chill wind
beginning to encounter the problems or trouble it causes
Many entrepreneur are facing the chill wind because of the monetary crisis

10. carry the can
accept blame or take responsibility for something that goes wrong, even if it is partly or even not your fault
I had to carry the can because of my brother had a fight with upperclassmen 

By : Yunita Indriana

1. break out in cold sweat
 perspire a lot because of anxiety
I broke out in cold sweat when I'm standing in front of the jury

2. butterflies in stomach 
 very nervous
At the party, I have butterflies in my stomach

3. cat on hot bricks
very nervous or restless
Are you cat on hot bricks? Just calm down, everything will be alright

4. heart in one's mouth
extremely anxious faced with dangerous or unpleasant situation
She has heart in her mouth when she saw the accident

5. bated breath
both anxious and excited about an upcoming event
He waited with bated breath for the winner to be announced

6. afraid of one's own shadow
 easily frightened
I've never seen anyone so easily scared. She's afraid of her own shadow

7. bundle of nerves
 very nervous, tense or worried
I'm a bundle of nerves that the result of the exam will be announced today
 
8. on the edge of one's heat
very interested in something and fits it both extremely exciting and nerve-wracking
He's on the edge of his seat watching the football competition

9. get fingers burnt
suffer as a result of an unsuccessful action and are nervous about trying again
He got his fingers burnt in the volleyball preliminaries that he decided to resign from the club

10. heart misses a beat
sudden feeling of fear or excitement
That explosion makes my heart misses a beat

By : Yunita Indriana

1. on the fence
has not yet reach the decision
I'm still on the fence of the plan to go to beach

2. hem and hew
very evasive; avoid of giving a clear answer
He hemmed and hawed when I asked him who is the girl he brought here

3. left hanging in the air
no decision has been taken; without solution
No solution for this question. It is still left hanging in the air  

4. shilly-shally
hesitate a lot about something; have difficulty reaching a decision
Stop shilly-shallying! Just make up your mind

5. in two minds
have difficulty deciding what to do
I'm in two mind regarding to accept or not the job offer

6. drag one's feet
delay a decision; delay or participate without any real enthusiasm
He keeps drag his feet on this project. I don't think he is serious about it.

7. blow hot and cold
constantly change your opinion about something 
She blows hot and cold about her job offer. She thought that it'll be good if she accepts it, but in the next second, she changes her mind

8. beat around the bush
to tell someone to say what they want to say, even if it is unpleasant
Stop beating around the bush! Just tell me clearly what do you want to say

9. up in the air
has not decided for a plan or decision
I'm still thinking about it. The answer is up in the air

10. remains to be seen
still unknown; the decision has not yet been taken
I heard that the new cafe will be open in this mall, but the location remains to be seen     


By : Yunita Indriana