My foot
When you say “my foot!” you are telling someone that you don’t believe – or strongly disagree with – what someone has told you. It is an idiom used to express disbelief or incredulity....
Category: Usage
What is correct: “crave” or “crave for”?
You would normally say “I crave an apple pie”, and not “I crave for an apple pie”. One definition of the verb “to crave” is “to have a great desire for”. If you were...
Can “cherish” be used in the past tense and the future tense?
“To cherish” is a verb meaning to value greatly or to hold in great affection. We can use it in the present, past and future tenses. Here are some examples. Present tense: She was...
Well-heeled
“Well-heeled” is an idiom that is used to describe someone who has plenty of money. It probably originates from the idea that only someone with enough money could afford to have their shoes repaired...
What does “literally” mean?
Some people get very angry when they hear or read the word “literally” used in a way that they think is wrong. So, let’s try to understand what it means and how it should...
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...
What is a “Jubilee”?
“Jubilee” is another word for “anniversary”. “Anniversary” can be used when celebrating something that happened one, two, three, four years ago and so on, but “jubilee” is normally only used when celebrating something that...
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....