Commonly used english part 22 ppsx

from day to day - one day at a time We did not know from day to day if the weather would be good enough for the birthday picnic.. from head to toe - from the top of one's head to one's f

frighten (someone) out of his or her wits

- to frighten someone severely

The little boy was frightened out of his wits by the big dog

frighten (someone) to death

- to frighten someone severely

I almost frightened the woman to death when I met her on the dark stairs

frighten the living daylights out of (someone)

- to frighten someone very badly

The horror movie frightened the living daylights out of the young girl

fritter (something) away

- to waste something little by little

The man frittered away all of the money that he had won in the contest

from Idioms

from A to Z

- everything about something

The man knows about cars from A to Z

from cradle to grave

- from birth to death

The government looks after its citizens with good medical care from cradle to grave

from dawn to dusk

- from the rising of the sun to the setting of the sun

The farmworkers worked from dawn to dusk everyday in order to pick the lettuce crop

from day to day

- one day at a time

We did not know from day to day if the weather would be good enough for the

birthday picnic

from door to door

- moving from one door to another

The children went from door to door to collect money for the earthquake victims

from hand to hand

- from one person to another person and then to another

We passed the papers from hand to hand until they were all distributed

from head to toe

- from the top of one's head to one's feet

The boy was covered in mud from head to toe

from near and far

- from all around

The people came from near and far to see the new stadium

from now on

- from this moment forward

From now on I will study Italian every day

from rags to riches

- from poverty to wealth

The family went from rags to riches when oil was discovered on their farm

from scratch

- from the very beginning

He decided to build the house from scratch

from side to side

- moving from one side to the other again and again

The boat was rocking from side to side during the big storm

from start to finish

- from the beginning to the end

The welcoming dinner was a great success from start to finish

from stem to stern

- from one end to the other, from the front to the back of a ship

The boat was damaged from stem to stern after the big storm

from the bottom of one`s heart

- with great feeling, sincerely

I thanked the doctor from the bottom of my heart for helping my daughter when she was sick

from the ground up

- from the beginning (as in building a house or other building or a business)

My uncle built his business from the ground up

from the heart

- sincerely, honestly

The boy gave his girlfriend some flowers with a message from the heart

from the outset

- from the beginning

I knew from the outset that the recipe would be loved by everybody

from the top

- from the beginning

"Let's take it from the top and begin again."

from the word go

- from the beginning

From the word go we knew that there would be problems with the new contract

from time to time

- occasionally

We go to that restaurant from time to time

from tip to toe

- from the top to the bottom

We made an effort to clean the statue from tip to toe

from way back

- since a long time ago, for a long time

I know my friend from way back In fact, we went to elementary school together

.

fruits of one's labor

- the results of one's work

We decided to enjoy the fruits of our labor so we went on a long holiday to Europe

full-fledged

- complete, having everything that is needed to be something

My cousin became a full-fledged nurse before she went to Saudi Arabia to work for a year

full of beans

- to be in high spirits, to be energetic

My aunt is full of beans today She must be excited about something

full of hot air

- to be full of nonsense, to be talking nonsense

I knew that the man was full of hot air when he began to tell us how to make lots of money

full of it

- to be full of nonsense

I thought that the woman was full of it when she told me that the business was closed

full of oneself

- to be conceited, to be self-important

The girl was full of herself and would only talk about things that were important to her

full steam ahead

- with as much energy and enthusiasm as possible

It was full steam ahead with the project to build the new stadium

fun and games

- a very difficult task (often used ironically)

It was fun and games today when I wrote my two final exams

funny bone

- the place at the back of the elbow that tingles when hit

I hit my funny bone today and it still hurts a little

funny business

- illegal activity

The truck driver was involved in some funny business that was probably illegal

funny ha-ha

- amusing, comical

It was not funny ha-ha but it was still a little bit amusing

G

gain ground

- to go forward, to make progress

The toy company is gaining ground in their effort to sell more products

game that two can play

- a good or bad strategy that two competing sides can both use

The insults from my friend are a game that two can play and if she wants to continue then so can I

gang up on (someone)

- to attack someone in a group

The children tried to gang up on the boy but he ran away

gas up

- to fill up a gas tank

We must gas up before we leave on our holiday tomorrow

gear up for (something)

- to prepare for something

The city is gearing up for the Olympic games

gee whiz

- used as an exclamation to show surprise or other strong feelings

"Gee whiz! Are we really going to go to France for our holiday?"

generous to a fault

- to be too generous

My friend is generous to a fault and he sometimes gives too much to his friends

get Idioms

get a bang out of (someone or something)

- to receive special pleasure from someone or something

My father gets a bang out of the funny birthday cards that we send him

get a break

- to get an opportunity or good deal

I got a break when my friend sold me his car for a cheap price

get a bright idea

- to have a clever thought or idea occur to you (often used as sarcasm)

My father got the bright idea that he should buy a motorcycle

get a checkup

- to receive a physical examination by a doctor

I go to the doctor every year to get a checkup

get a clean bill of health

- to be pronounced healthy by a doctor

I got a clean bill of health when I went to see the doctor

get a dirty look from (someone)

- to receive a frown from someone

I got a dirty look from the man who was sitting next to my crying child

get a feel for (something)

- to become accustomed to something and learn how it works, to learn how to do something

I am beginning to get a feel for my new job

get a fix on (something)

- to receive a reading of a distant object by electronic means

We were able to get a fix on the island and took the boat safely to the harbor

get a foothold (somewhere)

- to find a starting point somewhere

The new political party is beginning to get a foothold in the big cities

get a grasp of (something)

- to begin to understand something

I am beginning to get a grasp of how to operate the new computer system

get a grip of oneself

- to take control of one`s feelings

The man got a grip of himself and calmed down

get a head start (on someone or something)

- to start earlier than someone or something, to start earlier than usual

We tried to get a head start on our holiday

get a kick out of (someone or something)

- to enjoy someone or something

My father got a kick out of seeing his old school friend

get a load of (someone or something)

- to take a good look at someone or something

"Get a load of that man over there with the four dogs."

get a load off one's feet

- to sit down and relax

I sat down and tried to get a load off my feet

get a load off one's mind

- to express what one is thinking or worried about

I talked with my supervisor and was able to get a load off my mind regarding our recent conflict

get a lot of mileage out of (something)

- to get much use from something (like a car)

I hope to get a lot of mileage out of the new sneakers that I bought last week

get a lump in one's throat

- to feel like there is something in one's throat (like you are going to cry)

My sister got a lump in her throat when she watched her daughter's graduation

get a move on

- to hurry up

"Please get a move on We are already three hours late."