English Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions
Alphabetical List of Idioms E, page 2
Idioms E, page 2: from: 'eat dirt' to: 'walk on eggshells'
- eat dirt
- If someone eats dirt,
they are forced
to accept insults or bad treatment without complaining.
"As jobs are very scarce in the region, the boss can bully the employees and make them eat dirt with no risk of social unrest."
- If someone eats dirt,
they are forced
to accept insults or bad treatment without complaining.
- eat the frog / eat that frog
- The expression ‘eat the frog’ or ‘eat that frog’ is used as encouragement
to begin the day with the most difficult or unpleasant task, the one ranking highest on your hate list,
rather than avoid or postpone it. In that way nothing worse can happen all day.
Original expression: “If you have to eat a frog, don’t look at it for too long.”
"Making an inventory of unsold products is not going to be much fun, so let’s just eat the frog and get it over with!”
- The expression ‘eat the frog’ or ‘eat that frog’ is used as encouragement
to begin the day with the most difficult or unpleasant task, the one ranking highest on your hate list,
rather than avoid or postpone it. In that way nothing worse can happen all day.
- eat a horse
- If you say that you could eat a
horse you mean that you are very
hungry.
"Let's get something to eat. I'm starving. I could eat a horse!"
- If you say that you could eat a
horse you mean that you are very
hungry.
- eat, sleep and breathe something
- If you eat, sleep and breathe
something, you are so enthusiastic and passionate about it that you
think about it constantly.
"He's an enthusiastic golfer; he eats, sleeps and breathes it!"
- If you eat, sleep and breathe
something, you are so enthusiastic and passionate about it that you
think about it constantly.
- eat someone alive
- If you criticize someone severely because you are angry with them,
you eat them alive.
(You can also be eaten alive - bitten repeatedly - by insects.)
"The boss will eat me alive if the report arrives late."
- If you criticize someone severely because you are angry with them,
you eat them alive.
- eat out of house and home
- This is a humorous way of saying that
someone is eating large quantities of your food.
"I stock up with food when my teenage sons invite their friends over. They'd eat you out of house and home!"
- This is a humorous way of saying that
someone is eating large quantities of your food.
- eat/dip into one's savings
- If you eat or dip into your savings, you spend
part of the money you have put aside for future use.
"I had to dip into my savings to have the car repaired."
- If you eat or dip into your savings, you spend
part of the money you have put aside for future use.
- eat out of someone's hand
- If you eat out of somebody's hand, you are eager to
please and will accept to do anything that person asks.
"She is so persuasive that she has people eating out of her hand in no time."
- If you eat out of somebody's hand, you are eager to
please and will accept to do anything that person asks.
- eat your words
- If you eat your words, you have to admit that
what you said before was wrong.
"After predicting disastrous results, he had to eat his words when he saw the success of the new product."
- If you eat your words, you have to admit that
what you said before was wrong.
- economical with the truth
- To say that a person is economical with the truth
means that, without actually lying, they omit important facts or give incomplete information.
"The politician was accused of being economical with the truth."
- To say that a person is economical with the truth
means that, without actually lying, they omit important facts or give incomplete information.
- (on the) edge of one's seat
- Someone who is on the edge of their seat is very
interested in something and finds it both extremely exciting and nerve-wracking.
"Look at Bob! He's on the edge of his seat watching that rugby match!"
- Someone who is on the edge of their seat is very
interested in something and finds it both extremely exciting and nerve-wracking.
- egg someone on
- If you egg someone on, you urge or strongly
encourage them to do something.
"She didn't really want to learn to drive but her children kept egging her on."
- If you egg someone on, you urge or strongly
encourage them to do something.
- bad egg
- To refer to someone
as a bad egg means that they cannot trusted.
"I don't my son to be friends with Bobby Smith. Bobby's a bad egg!"
- To refer to someone
as a bad egg means that they cannot trusted.
- (a) nest egg
- If you have a nest egg, you
have a reserve of money which you put aside for future needs.
"Our parents consider the money from the sale of their house as a nest egg for their old age."
- If you have a nest egg, you
have a reserve of money which you put aside for future needs.
- all your eggs in one basket
- If you have all your eggs in one basket,
you depend on one plan or one source of income.
"If you invest your savings in one bank, you'll have all your eggs in one basket."
- If you have all your eggs in one basket,
you depend on one plan or one source of income.
- walk on eggshells
- If you walk on
eggshells with someone, you are careful
not to hurt or offend them.
"She's so sensitive, you have to walk on eggshells with her all the time."
- If you walk on
eggshells with someone, you are careful
not to hurt or offend them.
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