Commonly used english part 93 potx

too much of a good thing - to be more of a good thing than is good or useful The new company policy was too much of a good thing and finally they decided to change it.. toot/blow one's o

to the nth degree

- to the greatest degree possible, extremely

We made an effort to the nth degree but we were unable to successfully complete the project

to the tune of (an amount of money)

- to the amount or extent of an amount of money

The damage that he did to his car was to the tune of about $2000

to the wall

- into a place from which there is no escape

The credit agency pushed the man to the wall and he finally had to declare

bankruptcy

to whom it may concern

- to the person to whom something applies

I do not know the name of the sales manager so I will address the letter, "to whom it may concern."

to wit

- namely, that is to say

There were several important people at the dinner, to wit the mayor, the city manager, and the chief financial officer of the city

toe the line/mark

- to obey the rules and do what one is expected to do

The children were forced to toe the line when the new teacher arrived

toing and froing (on something)

- to be moving back and forth on an issue, to be changing one's mind about something

My father and mother have been toing and froing for several weeks about whether or not I can go to Japan to study

tone (something) down

- to make something less harsh or strong, to moderate something

The union leader was forced to tone down his language after the strike became

violent

tongue-in-cheek

- insincere, joking

The speaker made several tongue-in-cheek remarks about the politician

too bad

- worthy of sorrow or regret

It is too bad that the university decided to close the bookstore last year

too big for one`s britches/boots

- to feel more important than one really is

Our new boss is too big for his britches and needs to change his behavior

too clever by half

- to be very confident of your own intelligence but in a way that irritates other people

My friend is too clever by half He thinks that he knows everything which is very annoying

too close for comfort

- to be dangerously close

The edge of the road was too close for comfort so I moved the car away from it

too good to be true

- to be almost unbelievable

The offer was too good to be true and I did not believe that it was possible

too many irons in the fire

- to have too many things that you are trying to do

My friend has too many irons in the fire at the moment and has no time for other things

too much of a good thing

- to be more of a good thing than is good or useful

The new company policy was too much of a good thing and finally they decided to change it

toot/blow one's own horn

- to boast or praise oneself

My friend is always tooting his own horn when he thinks that he has done something well

tooth and nail

- fiercely, as hard as possible

The man decided to fight tooth and nail to transfer to another department of the company

top-drawer

- to be of the best or most important kind

When my friend buys a new car he always buys a top-drawer model

top-notch

- to be excellent, to be the best

They had a top-notch cook at the restaurant but he left last month

top (someone or something)

- to do or be better than someone or something

The young woman topped everyone in her class with the excellent job that she did in her exam

top (something) off

- to add to the difficulty of a situation or something

I lost my car keys and to top it off I also lost my wallet

top (something) off with (something)

- to end or terminate something with something else

The conference was topped off by a large dinner on the last day

- to be upside down, to be in disarray

My apartment was topsy-turvy so I stayed home to clean it up

torn between (two things)

- to be troubled by a choice or dilemma

I was torn between going to the library or going to a movie

toss a salad

- to mix the ingredients of a salad with dressing

My friend asked me to toss the salad when we were making dinner

toss off (an answer)

- to make or say something easily without trying or thinking hard

The boy was able to easily toss off the answer to the question when the teacher asked him

toss off (something)

- to drink something rapidly

We tossed off a couple of drinks before we went home for the evening

toss off (something)

- to throw something off of oneself or something

I tossed off my jacket before I got into the car

toss one's cookies

- to vomit

toss (someone) out of (somewhere)

- to force someone to leave, to dismiss someone

The boys were tossed out of the restaurant for their bad behavior

touch Idioms

touch a sore spot/point

- to mention a sensitive matter that will upset someone

I touched a sore spot when I began to talk about my friend's problems at work

touch and go

- uncertain, in a dangerous situation

It was touch and go whether the girl was going to survive after the car accident

touch base with (someone)

- to talk to someone, to meet someone briefly

I plan to touch base with my cousin before I go to the wedding next week

touch off (someone)

- to make someone very angry

I touched off my friend when I said something that she did not like

touch off (something)

- to cause something to fire or explode by lighting the fuse

The fire at the oil refinery touched off an explosion that destroyed many tanks

touch off (something)

- to start something

The arrest of the labor leader touched off a riot among the workers

touch on/upon (something)

- to speak or write briefly about something

The news article about the company touched on their previous legal problems

touch up (something)

- to paint over small imperfections of something

I asked the repair shop to touch up several places on my car where the paint was scratched

touch up (something)

- to improve something with small additions or changes

My essay will be finished after I touch up some of the weak spots

.

touched (in the head)

- to be crazy

The woman is touched in the head and it is difficult to know what she will do next

touched by (someone or something)

- to be emotionally affected or moved by someone or something

Everybody in the movie theater was touched by the performance of the dying actress

a tough act to follow

- a good performance that is difficult to follow

The first singer was a tough act to follow and the other singers in the contest were nervous

a tough break

- an unlucky event, a misfortune

The musician received a tough break when he became sick immediately before the music contest

tough it out

- to endure a difficult situation

I want to quit my job but for now I plan to tough it out

tough row to hoe

- a difficult task to undertake

Learning the written language of China was a tough row to hoe for the university students

tourist trap

- a place that is overpriced and attracts tourists

My friend thinks that Hawaii is a tourist trap and he does not want to go there for his holiday

a tower of strength

- a person who provides strong and reliable support

The man has been a tower of strength to his sister since her husband died

toy with (someone or something)

- to tease someone, to play or fiddle with something

The woman in the bank was toying with me when she began to ask me many

questions

track (someone or something) down

- to search for someone or something

I have been trying to track down an old Beatles album for many months

trade in (something)

- to exchange something old or used for something new

My friend traded in his old car for a new one

trade on (something)

- to use a fact or a situation to one's advantage

The woman trades on her beauty and never helps other people

train one's sights on (something)

- to have something as a goal, to direct something or oneself toward a goal

The young man is training his sights on joining the top team in the city

travel light

- to travel with very little luggage

We always travel light when we go on a holiday

travesty of justice

- an act of the legal system that is an insult to the system of justice

tread on (someone`s) toes

- to do something that offends someone

I do not want to tread on my supervisor's toes because she is the most powerful person

in this company

treat (someone)

- to pay for someone else

My friend treated me to a dinner at a nice restaurant

trial and error

- a way of solving a problem by trying different possible solutions until you find one that works

We worked by trial and error until we found a solution to the parking problems at our apartment building

trial balloon

- an announcement or experiment with the purpose of finding out what people think about an idea or product

We sent up a trial balloon to see who would support our plan to introduce the new product

trials and tribulations

- problems and tests of one's courage and perseverance

My aunt has gone through many trials and tribulations in her life

trick of the trade

- a smart/quick/skillful way of doing something

The man knows many tricks of the trade in the publishing business