To earn your keep
The idiom “to earn your keep” means to work in return for food and somewhere to live. It comes from the times when workers, usually on farms, were often given food and accommodation instead...
Category: Idioms
To get cold feet
When someone gets cold feet, they become too frightened to do something that they had planned to do. Examples: He was going to enter the London marathon but got cold feet. She got cold...
What does “cheesed off” mean?
“Cheesed off” is an idiom and phrasal verb. If I say that I’m cheesed off, I mean that I’m annoyed, disappointed or bored – or maybe all three! Some examples: I’m cheesed off with...
“To care for” or “to care about”?
“To care for” and “to care about” are both prepositional verbs. The meanings are similar but slightly different. If I say I care for someone, I might mean that: I have feelings towards them....
Stiff upper lip
When we say that someone has a “stiff upper lip” we mean that they don’t show emotion when things are difficult. The idiom is frequently used in the form “to keep a stiff upper...
“Cross that bridge when you come to it”
When you tell someone to “cross that bridge when you come to it”, you’re using an idiom to advise them not to worry at the moment about a possible problem in the future. Examples:...
Buck your ideas up!
When you tell someone to buck their ideas up, you’re telling them to do something better, to try harder, to be more energetic, or to hurry. “To buck your ideas up” is a phrasal...
Phrasal verbs
A phrasal verb consists of a verb and a preposition and/or adverb. They are used together to create a new meaning which is often very different from that of the original verb. Some phrasal...
To have a run-in
“To have a run-in” (with someone or something) is to have a disagreement, row, confrontation or argument with them. Examples: She had a run-in with her neighbour about the noise from her television. I’m...
What does “splash out” mean?
“To splash out” is a phrasal verb. It means “to spend a lot of money”. Examples: • It’s his birthday tomorrow so I’ve decided to splash out on a nice meal. • She splashed...