| A | B |
|---|
| Ace up your sleeve | -a surprise or secret advantage, especially something tricky that is kept hidden until needed. |
| Babe in the wood | a person who is inexperienced; a naïve, thrusting person |
| Call you on the carpet | to call a person before an authority for a scolding |
| Diamond in the rough | -someone or something that doesn’t look so good now, but that has great merit or potential to be beautiful |
| Easy as pie | -not difficult; requiring practically no effort |
| Face the music | -to endure the consequences of one’s actions; to take what you have coming to you |
| Get in on the ground floor | -to be part of something big or important project or business at its start |
| Handle with kid gloves | -to treat gently or carefully |
| In one ear and out the other | -not listening to what is being said; not attentive |
| Jack-of-all-trades | -a person who can do many different kinds of work well |
| Keep a stiff upper lip | -to be brave and not show emotion in a time of trouble |
| Labor of love | -work done not for money but for love or a sense of accomplishment |
| Mad as a hatter | -completely crazy, strange, eccentric |
| Needle in a haystack | -something hard or impossible to find; anything hopeless (in a search) |
| Off the top of your head | -stating something quickly and without thinking hard about it |
| Par for the course | -just what was expected; normal; typical |
| Q.T. (also QT or q.t.) | -quietly, secretly; without anyone knowing |
| Rain or shine | -no matter what happens; whatever the weather is like |
| Salt of the earth | -a person or group considered to be the finest, most admirable, and noble |
| Take a backseat | -to be in an inferior position; to take second place to another person who is in control |
| Under the table | -in secret, dishonestly; not out in the open |
| Waiting for the other shoe to drop | -anticipating the second half of a two-part unpleasant action to take place. |
| You can’t teach an old dog new tricks | -people who find it difficult or impossible to change their ways or adjust to new ideas |
| Add fuel to the fire | -to make a bad situation worse; to do or say something that causes more trouble, make someone angrier |
| Backseat driver | a bossy person who tells another person what to do; a person who gives unwanted advice and directions |
| Can’t hold a candle to | -to be second-rate in a certain skill; to be greatly inferior |
| Do or die | -to succeed or fail completely; to take the chance of ruining oneself in trying to succeed |
| Easy come, easy go | -something that is easily obtained, as money, can be lost or parted with just as easily |
| Fair-weather friend | -a person who is a faithful friend only-when everything is going well but who deserts you in times of difficulty |
| Get the green light | -get permission to go ahead with a project |
| Handwriting on the wall | -a sign that something bad is going to happen; a warning of danger or trouble |
| In the driver’s seat | -in control; in the position of authority |
| Jet set | -the wealthy, fashionable, and famous people who travel frequently |
| Keep something under your hat | -to keep something secret |
| Make ends meet | -to earn just enough to live within one’s income |
| Nickel-and-dime | -unimportant, small-time, trivial, petty |
| Off-the-wall | to ask for contributions; to beg |
| Pass the hat | -to ask for contributions; to beg |
| Rain on your parade | -to spoil someone’s day, performance, special occasion, celebration, plans, etc. |
| School of hard knocks | -challenging experiences that can teach you a lot |
| Take someone under your wing | -to help, guide, or protect someone |
| Up against the wall | -in big trouble; in a difficult or desperate situation |
| Walking on air | -to be exuberantly happy, excited, and joyful |
| Afraid of your own shadow | -very easily frightened, especially of small or imaginary things |
| Ballpark figure | -a rough estimate |
| Carved in stone | -not able to be changed in any way; permanent and unalterable |
| Dog-eat-dog-world | -a way of life marked by fierce competition in which people compete ruthlessly for survival or success |
| Eat crow | -to be force to do something very disagreeable; to acknowledge a mistake or defeat |
| Fat cat | -a wealthy person; a rich benefactor |
| Get the sack | -to be fired |
