click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Joy of Vocabulary 20
Vocab 20
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| busman's holiday | holiday spent in an activity the same as, or similar to, one's occupation, as a bus driver who takes his family for a Sunday drive |
| come home to roost | have disagreeable repercussions; boomerang |
| Dutch treat | meal or entertainment for which each participant pays his or her own share |
| eat crow | be forced intoa humiliating or extremely disagreeable situation |
| fish or cut bait | proceed wholeheartedly or drop out altogether; stop procrastinating or temporizing |
| French leave | unauthorized, hasty, or secret departure |
| have an axe to grind | have a selfish motive or ulterior purpose to promote |
| hold a candle to | compare favorably with |
| hold water | remain sound, logical, or consistent; stand up |
| lame duck | elected official who remains in office for a brief period after a successor has been elected |
| pay the piper | suffer the unfavorable consequences of one's actions |
| play possum | pretend to be dead or asleep; dissemble |
| play the devil's advocate | uphold the wrong side of a cause for the sake of argument |
| poker face | expressionless face, as that of an experienced poker player |
| red herring | something used to distract attention from the real issue |
| roll out the red carpet | show impressive courtesy |
| stick in one's craw | be intolerable and unacceptable to one |
| stick to one's last | keep to one's own trade or field |
| whistle in the dark | put on a show of confidence in the face of impending danger or defeat; try to keep up one's courage |
| white elephant | possession entailing expense and trouble far greater than its usefulness to the owner |