easy & pleasant (used negatively) "Although Brian never complained, his job was no bed of roses."

straight from the horse’s mouth

directly from the person involved "I got the news straight from the horse’s mouth."

in exactly the same words "I reported what was said word for word."

a small untruth/lie, often told to spare someone’s feelings "When my wife asked me how I liked the dinner she made, I had to tell a white lie."

to be completely frank "Jim never holds back, he always calls a spade a spade."

to face a difficult or unpleasant situation "When he got caught embezzling, he had to face the music."

to summarize very briefly, in a few words "In a nutshell, international business is full of difficult challenges."

unofficially and not for publication "Off the record, I think the CEO’s decision is terrible for the company’s long-term viability."

take some other factor into consideration when judging sb "The teacher had to make allowances for the students who missed the first two weeks of class."

neither here nor there

not relevant or pertinent "That’s neither here nor there. We need to focus on the immediate issue."

burn the midnight oil

to stay up late studying or working "I’ve been burning the midnight oil getting ready for my final exams."

untrue rumor "We heard that the decision had been made already, but it was a false alarm."

give someone a piece of one’s mind

to reprimand someone angrily and frankly "When Jim was late for his sister-in-law’s birthday party, his wife gave him a piece of her mind. "

furious "The day of the school dance Mike called Sue and said he couldn’t go with her. She was fit to be tied. "

pull oneself together

regain control of yourself "Larry was depressed when he lost his job, but he pulled himself together and found for a new position."

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Idiom List 1

common idioms

Question	Answer
a bed of roses	easy & pleasant (used negatively) "Although Brian never complained, his job was no bed of roses."
straight from the horse’s mouth	directly from the person involved "I got the news straight from the horse’s mouth."
word for word	in exactly the same words "I reported what was said word for word."
white lie	a small untruth/lie, often told to spare someone’s feelings "When my wife asked me how I liked the dinner she made, I had to tell a white lie."
call a spade a spade	to be completely frank "Jim never holds back, he always calls a spade a spade."
face the music	to face a difficult or unpleasant situation "When he got caught embezzling, he had to face the music."
in a nutshell	to summarize very briefly, in a few words "In a nutshell, international business is full of difficult challenges."
off the record	unofficially and not for publication "Off the record, I think the CEO’s decision is terrible for the company’s long-term viability."
make allowances for	take some other factor into consideration when judging sb "The teacher had to make allowances for the students who missed the first two weeks of class."
neither here nor there	not relevant or pertinent "That’s neither here nor there. We need to focus on the immediate issue."
burn the midnight oil	to stay up late studying or working "I’ve been burning the midnight oil getting ready for my final exams."
false alarm	untrue rumor "We heard that the decision had been made already, but it was a false alarm."
give someone a piece of one’s mind	to reprimand someone angrily and frankly "When Jim was late for his sister-in-law’s birthday party, his wife gave him a piece of her mind. "
fit to be tied	furious "The day of the school dance Mike called Sue and said he couldn’t go with her. She was fit to be tied. "
pull oneself together	regain control of yourself "Larry was depressed when he lost his job, but he pulled himself together and found for a new position."

Created by: hatcherj

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