| A | B |
|---|
| Tickled pink | -to be very amused or pleased; to be delighted, entertained, extremely happy |
| Tip of the iceberg | -just a small part of a larger problem or a worse situation |
| White elephant | -any possession that is useless, unwanted, or costs a lot of money to keep |
| Worth your salt | -deserving to pay or reward that you get |
| Ax to grind | -something to gain for yourself for a selfish reason; flattery or trickery used to get a favor from another person |
| Bite the bullet | -prepare for an unpleasant experience; brace yourself to endure with courage something painful but necessary |
| Bite your tongue | -take back or be ashamed of what you have said; struggle not to say something you want to say |
| Black sheep of the family | -the most unsuccessful, least admirable member of a family or similar group; a disgraced person |
| Chip on your shoulder | -to be quarrelsome, aggressive, or rude; to be ready for a fight |
| Close shave | -a very narrow escape from danger |
| Cold turkey | -the sudden stopping of any habit |
| Crocodile tears | -fake tears; false grief |
| Dyed-in-the-wool | -complete, permanent; stubborn |
| For the birds | -worthless; useless; stupid |
| Goody Two-shoes | -a person who thinks he or she is perfect and tries to be |
| Hot under the collar | -very angry; upset |
| Knock your socks off | -thrill, amaze, delight, overwhelm, startle, excite, shock |
| Look down your nose at someone | -to think of and treat people as if they were lower in quality or ability |
| Miss the boat | -to lose an opportunity; to arrive too late and miss out on something |
| Monkey business | -silliness or fooling around; dishonest or illegal activities; idiotic pranks |
| Nothing to sneeze at | -not small or unimportant; something to be taken seriously |
| Pull out all the stops | -to do everything possible to succeed; to do something as enthusiastically as you can |
| Red tape | -excessive formality and time-consuming, rigid adherence to rules and regulations |
| Sing for your supper | to perform a service in return for something one needs or wants |
| Sink or swim | -to fail or succeed by one’s own effort without anyone’s help or interference |
| Tickle the ivories | -play the piano skillfully |
| Tied to someone’s apron strings | -to be dependent on someone, such as one’s mother; to not be able to do anything without asking your mother |
| Wild-goose chase | -a useless or helpless search, especially because something does not exist or can’t be found |
| Wolf in sheep’s clothing | -somebody who appears to be harmless but is really dangerous |
| Word of mouth | -by one person telling another; by speaking, rather than writing |
| At the end of your rope | -at the limit of your ability, endurance, or patience to do something |
| Bed of roses | -a wonderful, pleasant situation or position; an easy, comfortable life |
| Better half | -either partner in marriage |
| Cast pearls before swine | -to waste something good or valuable on someone who won’t appreciate or understand it |
| Chips are down | -the situation is urgent and has to be dealt with now |
| Clean as a whistle | -completely free from dirt; perfectly neat |
| Down the hatch | -swallow a drink in one gulp |
| Egg on your face | -to be very embarrassed or humiliated for something foolish that you did or said |
| Field day | -to have unlimited opportunities; to have it all your own way; to go all out and experience success at something |
| Get your feet wet | -to have a first experience in something; to begin to do something for the first time |
| Go along for the ride | -to watch but not take part in an activity; to keep someone company |
| High horse | -acting superior and arrogant as if you were better than other people |
| Hold the fort | -to temporarily be responsible for watching over a place; to fight off trouble or keep watch |
| Jump the gun | -to do or say something before you should; to act prematurely or hastily |
| Kick up your heels | -to celebrate and have a wonderful time |
| Let your hair down | -to behave freely and naturally; to relax and show your true self |
| Live high off the hog | -to live in a rich style and own lots of expensive things |
| Not your cup of tea | -not what one likes or prefers; not suitable; not your taste |
| Old wives’ tale | -a superstition; a belief or practice not based on fact |
| Split hairs | -to argue about small, unimportant differences |
