1. To get one’s foot in the door
= to get an
opening/ promising opportunity
= to start working
at a low level, hoping to progress
Example: It’s not easy to get your
foot in the door at the company.
2. On a shoestring
= with very little
money; on a very tight budget
Example: Jim started his company on a
shoestring, but now it is a multimillion-dollar company.
3. To jump through hoops
= to do a lot of
difficult things before you are allowed to have or do something you want.
Example: At work, Sam had to jump
through hoops before he was allowed to manage the best project.
4. To clear the air
= to remove hidden
resentment1
= to remove the bad
feelings between people
Example:
-
Jade has been mad at me, but I don’t know why. I
want to clear the air, so I hope she’ll meet me to talk.
-
My colleagues were upset because two people were
fired last week. Our boss called a meeting to clear the air. Now, the
office environment is back to normal.
5. To jump on the bandwagon
= to seize the
opportunity and do something when it’s already succesfull or fashionable.
Example:
Having short hair is now popular! I’m going to jump on the bandwagon and
go to the hairdresser, too!
6. To hit the roof
= to become very
angry
Example: When I found Tom crashed my
car, I hit the roof.
7. To smoke like a chimney
= to smoke a lot
Example: Jeff smokes like a chimney.
I worry about his health.
8. To go out the window
= to no longer
exist; to disappear2
Example: His diet went out the window
during the holidays.
9. To cry over spilled milk
= to be unhappy because
of a past event that cannot be changed
Example: There’s no use worrying about a
test you didn’t pass. You can’t make it up, so stop crying over spilled milk
10. To cry uncle
= to admit3
defeat4
Example: Larry and Nicholas were
wrestling on the floor, and Larry pinned Nicholas
down5. When Nicholas was
ready to admit defeat, he cried uncle.
11. Crocodile tears
= false/
exaggerated6 tears
Example: I don’t believe Tommy really
hurt himself when he fell. I think he was crying crocodile tears just to
get attention.
12. To cry wolf
= to raise a false
alarm or exaggerate so often that one is no longer believed
Example: Every Friday, that man comes to
the police station and says he thinks he has been robbed, but when we get to
his house, there is never anything missing. I think he’s just crying wolf.
You can’t believe him anymore.
Exercise:
Find out the real meaning of the idioms below for your exercise!
1. It’s a fly in the ointment7
which broke their friendship.
2. Johnny stays late and keeps telling cock and
bull story.
3. Both Mick and Mandy are so upset. They are all on
the same boat now.
4. The Beatles is one of the dinosaurs in
musical universe.
5. It’s raining cats and dogs now! I wish I
brought my umbrella.
1. Kemarahan; 2. Menghilang; 3. Mengakui; 4. Kekalahan; 5. Mengunci
gerakan; 6. Dilebih-lebihkan; 7. salep
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