English Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions
Alphabetical List of Idioms - L, page 2
from: 'last word'
to: 'learn the hard way'
- last word
- Something described as the last word is the most recent or most fashionable in its category.
"Steve's new computer is the last word in technology."
- Something described as the last word is the most recent or most fashionable in its category.
- late bloomer
- To refer to someone as a late bloomer means that they take longer than usual or expected
to develop in a particular field, show their talents or demonstrate their capabilities.
"He was quite slow at school but he turned out to be a late bloomer who is now a renowned academic ! "
- To refer to someone as a late bloomer means that they take longer than usual or expected
to develop in a particular field, show their talents or demonstrate their capabilities.
- laugh all the way to the bank
- A person who makes a lot of money easily, especially through someone else's stupidity, is said to laugh all the way to the bank.
"If we fail to renew the contract, our competitors will be laughing all the way to the bank."
- A person who makes a lot of money easily, especially through someone else's stupidity, is said to laugh all the way to the bank.
- laugh off
- When you laugh about something that has upset or hurt you, to make it seem less
important or to try to show that you do not care, you laugh it off.
"Lisa overheard her colleague's critical remark, but she laughed it off."
- When you laugh about something that has upset or hurt you, to make it seem less
important or to try to show that you do not care, you laugh it off.
- laugh up your sleeve
- If you laugh up your sleeve, you are secretly amused at another person's problems or difficulties.
"Tom felt that his demonstration was confusing and that his colleague was laughing up his sleeve."
- If you laugh up your sleeve, you are secretly amused at another person's problems or difficulties.
- laughing stock
- A person who does something stupid or ridiculous which causes others to laugh becomes a laughing stock.
"If you wear that to school you'll be the laughing stock of the class!"
- A person who does something stupid or ridiculous which causes others to laugh becomes a laughing stock.
- law of the jungle
- A situation in which people are prepared to use unscrupulous
methods in order to succeed or survive is called the law of the jungle.
"Some businesses today seem to be governed by the law of the jungle."
- A situation in which people are prepared to use unscrupulous
methods in order to succeed or survive is called the law of the jungle.
- law unto yourself
- If someone is a law unto themselves, they do things their own way and ignore rules and regulations, or what is generally considered as acceptable.
"They're against discipline and allow their children complete freedom - they're a law unto themselves."
- If someone is a law unto themselves, they do things their own way and ignore rules and regulations, or what is generally considered as acceptable.
- lay it on the line
- If you speak frankly and make something very clear, you lay it on the line.
"The boss laid it on the line and told Jimmy that if he arrived late for work again he would lose his job."
- If you speak frankly and make something very clear, you lay it on the line.
- lay down the law
- Someone who lays down the law tells people very forcefully and firmly what to do.
"The volunteers helped in a disorganised way. They needed someone to lay down the law."
- Someone who lays down the law tells people very forcefully and firmly what to do.
- lead someone up the garden path
- If someone leads you up the garden path, they deliberately deceive you by giving you misleading information or by not keeping a promise you
believed to be sincere.
"I still haven't got the promotion I was promised. I think my boss is leading me up the garden path!"
- If someone leads you up the garden path, they deliberately deceive you by giving you misleading information or by not keeping a promise you
believed to be sincere.
- lead to a dead end
- If a plan or project leads to a dead end, it develops no further because it has no future.
"In spite of the scientists' efforts, the research lead to a dead end."
- If a plan or project leads to a dead end, it develops no further because it has no future.
- (take a) leaf out of someone's book
- If you take a leaf out of someone's book, you behave like them or follow their example.
"You should take a leaf out of Hugo's book and start to work harder. "
- If you take a leaf out of someone's book, you behave like them or follow their example.
- in leaps and bounds
- If you do something in leaps and bounds, you make rapid or spectacular progress or growth.
"The number of subscribers to the newsletter has grown in leaps and bounds."
- If you do something in leaps and bounds, you make rapid or spectacular progress or growth.
- learn the hard way
- If you learn the hard way, you learn through your own experience, good and bad, rather than from the advice or guidance of others.
"His refusal to accept any help meant that he had to learn the hard way."
- If you learn the hard way, you learn through your own experience, good and bad, rather than from the advice or guidance of others.
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