Commonly used english part 71 ppt

quick as a wink - very quickly The woman turned around and quick as a wink her purse was stolen.. quick on the draw- to be quick to respond to something, to be quick to draw a gun and sh

put the words into (someone`s) mouth

- to say/suggest something for someone else, to speak for someone else without his or her permission

My friend always wants to put the words into my mouth before I have a chance to speak

put two and two together

- to understand or figure something out after learning all the facts

I put two and two together and realized why my boss was absent last month

put up a good fight/struggle

- to try hard, to struggle hard

We put up a good fight but we were unable to win the game

put up a good/brave front

- to pretend to be happy, to fool people about one`s feelings

My friend always puts up a good front but actually he is very unhappy

put up at a hotel/motel

- to stay at a hotel/motel

We decided to put up at a hotel and continue our trip the next day

put up money for (something)

- to provide money for something

The telephone company put up most of the money for the new science center

put up or shut up

- to prove/do something or stop saying it, to bet money on what one says or stop saying it

The politician was forced to put up or shut up over his plans to build a new

convention center

put up with (someone or something)

- to patiently accept or endure someone or something

The man makes a great effort to put up with his wife`s complaints

put upon by (someone)

- to be made use of to an unreasonable degree

I am always put upon by my boss to do more work than the other members of the staff

put weight on

- to gain weight

My friend has been putting weight on since he stopped working

put words in (someone`s) mouth

- to say/suggest something for someone else, to speak for someone else without his or her permission

The man always puts words in his wife's mouth which makes her very angry

putty in (someone's) hands

- to be easily influenced by someone else

The children are like putty in the hands of the new teacher

puzzle (something) out

- to try to figure something out

We spent a lot of time trying to puzzle out a solution to our problems

Q

quake in one's boots

- to be afraid, to shake from fear

I was quaking in my boots when my boss told me to come to his office

queer as a three-dollar bill

- to be very strange

The woman is the strangest person that I have ever seen and she is as queer as a three-dollar bill

quick and dirty

- fast and cheap, fast and careless

The method that the company chose to cut expenses was quick and dirty

quick as a flash

- very quickly

I was able to get out of the house as quick as a flash and go to work

quick as a wink

- very quickly

The woman turned around and quick as a wink her purse was stolen

quick as geased lightning

- very quickly, very fast

The cat climbed up the tree as quick as greased lightning

quick on the draw

- to be quick to respond to something, to be quick to draw a gun and shoot

The man is quick on the draw and can answer most questions immediately

quick on the trigger

- to be quick to respond to something, to be quick to draw a gun and shoot

The man was too quick on the trigger and should have thought more carefully about what he was going to say

quick on the uptake

- to be quick to understand something

The student is quick on the uptake and understands most scientific theories very quickly

quiet as a mouse

- very quiet, shy and silent

The little boy was quiet as a mouse as he moved around the kitchen

quite a bit

- much or many

I had quite a bit of time so I decided to go to the library

quite a few

- many

The boy has quite a few DVDs at home

quite a lot

- much or many

There are quite a lot of chairs in the meeting hall

quite a number

- much or many

Quite a number of the teachers agreed to use the new textbooks

quite a (something)

- definitely something

The girl is quite a pianist and everybody loves her

quote a price

- to state in advance the charge for doing or supplying something

I asked the moving company to quote a price to move our furniture

R

a race against time

- a rush to beat a deadline

It was a race against time to rescue the miners who were trapped in the mine

rack one`s brains

- to try hard to think or remember something

I have been racking my brains all day trying to remember the man's name

racked with pain

- to be suffering from severe pain

The man was racked with pain after he fell from the ladder

rail at (someone) about (something)

- to complain loudly to someone about something

The customer was railing at the clerk about the bad service

rain cats and dogs

- to rain very hard

It has been raining cats and dogs all morning

a rain check

- a free ticket to an event that replaces a ticket that was cancelled because of rain or for some other reason

We received a rain check for the concert that was suddenly cancelled

a rain check

- a promise to repeat an invitation at a later date

I did not have time to go to the restaurant with my friend so I decided to take a rain check

rain on (someone's) parade

- to spoil someone's plans

I tried not to let my friend's bad mood rain on my parade during the concert

rain or shine

- no matter whether it rains or the sun shines

We plan to go to the beach tomorrow rain or shine

rain (something) out

- to spoil something by raining

The music festival was rained out yesterday evening

raise Idioms

raise a fuss

- to make trouble, to cause a disturbance

The woman at the restaurant raised a fuss when her meal arrived late

raise a hand against (someone or something)

- to hit or threaten to hit someone or something

If the man raises a hand against his supervisor the police will be called

raise a stink about (something)

- to make a major issue out of something

The small business owners began to raise a stink about the new parking tax

raise an objection to (someone or something)

- to object to someone or something

My friend raised an objection about including my parents in our travel plans

raise Cain

- to create a disturbance, to cause trouble

The boys began to raise Cain at the dance and were asked to leave

raise eyebrows

- to cause surprise or disapproval

It raised eyebrows when the actress appeared at the party with no invitation

raise havoc with (someone or something)

- to create confusion or disruption for or against someone or something

The bad weather raised havoc with our plans to clean up the area around our house

raise hell with (someone or something)

- to make trouble, to behave wildly

The woman began to raise hell with her supervisor after she heard about the new policy

raise one's sights

- to set higher goals for oneself

Our team is doing very well this year and we are now raising our sights on the city championship

raise one's voice to (someone)

- to speak loudly or shout at someone in anger

The teacher asked the child not to raise his voice

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to be raised in a barn

- to behave crudely like a barnyard animal

When the boy did not shut the door his mother asked him if he had been raised in a barn

rake in the money

- to make a lot of money

My cousin's new pizza franchise has been raking in the money since it opened

rake (someone) over the coals

- to scold/reprimand someone

My boss raked me over the coals when he heard about the lost sales report

rake (something) off

- to take money from something illegally