cut corners. undertake something in what appears to be the easiest, quickest, or cheapest way, often by omitting to do something important or ignoring rules. This phrase comes from cutting (off) the corner , which means 'taking the shortest course by going across and not round a corner'. See also: corner, cut.
Example: He was right on the ball regarding his assessment of the situation. I couldn't sleep well last night, so am not on the ball today. When his opponent tried to sneak in a pass, the defender was right on the ball and stopped it well.
To do something “once in a blue moon” is to do it very rarely: “That company puts on a good performance only once in a blue moon.” The phrase refers to the appearance of a second full moon within a calendar month, which actually happens about every thirty-two months.
For example, She really dropped the ball when she forgot to call back, or He dropped the ball, turning down their offer. This expression comes from sports where a player who fails to catch a ball is charged with an error. Its use for more general kinds of mistakes dates from about 1950.
The phrase 'Over the Moon' means extremely pleased and happy. You can use the phrase 'Over the Moon' when describing your feeling when something great had happened to you. Example of Use: “When he sent me flowers and a note, I was over the moon.”
Definition of the final/last straw
: the last in a series of bad things that happen to make someone very upset, angry, etc. It had been a difficult week, so when the car broke down, it was the last straw.get out of hand. To become chaotic and unmanageable, as of a situation. If your party gets out of hand, the neighbors will call the police.
up in the air. phrase. If you say that a decision or a situation is up in the air, you mean that it has not yet been completely settled or planned.
in the wind. If something is in the wind, people are talking about it and it may happen, but no one is sure: Rumors of a takeover are in the wind. If someone is in the wind, they are missing, especially after escaping: The suspects are in the wind.
under the weather. phrase. If you say that you are under the weather, you mean that you feel slightly ill. I was still feeling a bit under the weather. Synonyms: ill, unwell, poorly [informal], sick More Synonyms of under the weather.
Enjoy oneself enormously, as in It was a great trip-I had a ball. This idiom uses the noun ball in the sense of "a gala dance." [ Slang; 1920s] See also: ball, have.
The phrase 'not a spark of decency' refers to someone who has no or very rude manners.
The phrase 'Over the Moon' means extremely pleased and happy. You can use the phrase 'Over the Moon' when describing your feeling when something great had happened to you. Example of Use: “When he sent me flowers and a note, I was over the moon.”
on-the-mend. (idiomatic, of persons and their health) Healing or recovering, as from an injury or illness. My foot is on the mend but it still hurts to walk. (idiomatic, of situations or things) Improving or undergoing restoration to a previous, more favorable condition.
If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen. If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen is an admonition which means if you can't stand the stress, pressure or difficulties of a situation, then you should remove yourself.
have the ball at (one's) feet
To be in the best position to do something; to be in control. With your grades and extracurriculars, you'll have the ball at your feet in your college search. I want to have the ball at my feet at the most crucial moment in a game—I want to be the hero. See also: ball, feet, have.The phrase 'to hear something straight from the horse's mouth' means that you heard the information from someone who has personal knowledge on the spoken matter. Example in use: “I don't believe it that she did it. I'm going to go to ask her and hear it straight from the horse's mouth.”
This is the definition of the idiom from Dictionary.com: a. to fail to take advantage of an opportunity: He missed the boat when he applied too late to get into college. b. to miss the point of; fail to understand: I missed the boat on that explanation.
The expression far cry means "very different from." If you live in a tiny cottage and your next door neighbor has an enormous mansion, you could say that your house is a far cry from your neighbor's. Something is a far cry when you're disappointed by its difference from something else.
so far so good. phrase. You can say so far so good to express satisfaction with the way that a situation or activity is progressing, developing, or happening. [feelings]
To do something at the drop of a hat means to do it immediately, without delay and at the slightest provocation. Alternatively, the idiom at the drop of a hat may be of Irish origin, stemming from the practice of signalling the beginning of a fight by thrusting a hat in a downward swoop.
hit the sack, Slang. to go to bed; go to sleep: He never hits the sack before midnight.
"Back to square one" is a phrase that means "to go back to the beginning, after a dead-end or failure". It can also refer to: Square One (puzzle), also called "Back to Square One" Back to Square One (film), a 1994 German film.
The phrase 'your guess is as good as mine' is used when one doesn't know the solution or answer to a problem instead of admitting “I don't know or have the solution or answer.” Example of use: I asked my wife “how long will it take for the pie to bake?” and she answered, “your guess is as good as mine.”
The misquote is so common it is now even used in the play itself. The 14th century phrase "On tenter hooks" which derives from a wooden frame that hung wet clothes out to dry is often mistaken as "on tender hooks."
A tenter is a wooden frame, often in the form of a line of fencing, used to hang woollen or linen cloth to prevent it from shrinking as it dries. The tenterhooks are, not surprisingly, the hooks on the tenter used to hold the cloth in place.
What's the meaning of the phrase 'Damp squib'?
A 'damp squib' is something that fails ignominiously to satisfy expectations; an anti-climax, a disappointment.just desserts. The expression meaning that which is deserved was originally just deserts. The phrase is the last refuge of an obsolete meaning of desert—namely, something that is deserved or merited.
To tender is to invite bids for a project or accept a formal offer such as a takeover bid. Tendering usually refers to the process whereby governments and financial institutions invite bids for large projects that must be submitted within a finite deadline.
