English Idioms & Idiomatic Expressions
Alphabetical List of Idioms - E
(Idioms E page 3 : ego trip → even
keel)
| ego trip | If you do something
primarily to draw attention to yourself and
feel important or superior to others, you
are on an ego trip. His speech about creating an association to help the underprivileged was one long ego trip. |
| one over the eight | If a person has
one over the eight, they are slightly
drunk. Don't listen to him. Can't you see he's one over the eight! |
| elbow grease | If you use
elbow grease, you need energy and
strength to do physical work such as
cleaning or polishing. It took a considerable amount of elbow grease to renovate the old house. |
| elbow room | If you need some
elbow room, you need more space to
move. We shared a small office where neither of us had enough elbow room. |
| in one's element | When you are in
your element, you are doing something
that you do well, and you are enjoying
yourself. My brother, who is an estate agent, was in his element house-hunting for our parents. |
| elephant in the room | A problem that no
one wants to discuss, but is so obvious that
it cannot be ignored, is called an
elephant in the room. Let's face it, his work is unsatisfactory. It's an elephant in the room that we need to discuss. |
| eleventh hour | If something
happens at the eleventh hour, it
happens when it is almost too late, or at
the last possible moment. Our team won after they scored a goal at the eleventh hour. |
| embarrassment of riches | When there is much
more of something than necessary, and it is
difficult to make a choice, you have an
embarrassment of riches. Our hosts presented us with an embarrassment of riches. There was so much food that we didn't know where to start! |
| make ends meet | If you find it
difficult to pay for your everyday needs
because you have very little money, it is
hard for you to make ends meet.
Anne's salary is so low that she finds it hard to make ends meet. |
| enough said | This expression is
used to indicate that you completely
understand the situation and you do not need
any further details. Your mother-in-law arrived unexpectedly last night? Enough said! |
| err on the side of caution | When uncertain
about what to do, if you err on the side
of caution you do more than what is
adequate rather than take any risks. When I'm not sure how much food to prepare, I tend to err on the side of caution and prepare far too much. |
| see error of ways | When someone
sees the error of their ways, they
understand that what they are doing is wrong
and accept to change their behaviour. He talked to a counsellor who tried to make him see the error of his ways. |
| in essence | The term 'in
essence' means 'basically', fundamentally'
or 'essentially', and refers to the most
important or essential facts. In essence, lightning is a great big spark of electricity. |
| even keel | A situation or
person who stays on an even keel
manages to remain calm, stable and
untroubled in all circumstances. She managed to keep her life on an even keel in spite of the difficulties. |
| ...back next... | |
| Alphabetical Lists E: | E1 | E2 | E3 | E4 | E5 |
more alphabetical lists ...
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X-Y-Z |