Lumiere English Academy; A Basic Grammar - Lesson 17.2 Set Expressions - Idioms E to P

Lumiere English academy

A Basic Grammar

The best way to begin to understand the language is by keeping up with its expression.

So memorise the list and make another 

one of your own as you come across

 further ones in your reading.

Idioms E to P

E
To err is human, to forgive divine	It’s good to forgive people for offending you
Eternal triangle	A third party breaks in on a couple
F
Faint heart never won fair lady	A man in love should court with courage
Favourite pastime	Most enjoyable pursuit
Fit for a king	Very smart
Fortune favours the brave	Those who are prepared to strive often succeed
G
The game isn’t worth the candle	The fun isn’t worth the effort
Get away with	To escape punishment
Getting into a rut	Settling into boredom
Ghost of herself	Looks as if she is very ill
Giving a wide berth to	Avoiding
Giving every appearance of	Making it seem
A good innings	A long time
Go through the motions	Observe all the rules
Grin and bear it	Accept the inevitable
H
Hale and hearty	Healthy
A hand to mouth existence	Unable to save money
Having a narrow shave	Having a narrow escape
He has only himself to blame	It is his fault
He who pays the piper calls the tune	The one who pays is in charge
He will get his comeuppance	He will be punished one day
Help oneself to	Serving oneself. Can also mean stealing
Hidden agenda	Ulterior motive
I
If need be	If it is necessary
In at the kill	Present when another is caught
In durance vile	In prison
In fits and starts	Acting on impulse, spasmodically without fixed rules
In good time	Punctually
In the final analysis	After all the details have been examined
In the nature of things	The way things are
It's a small world	You meet old acquaintances everywhere
It stands to reason	It is understandable
It never rains but it pours	When troubles come, they often seem to come together
K
Keeping the peace	Keeping the parties from discord
Kicking over the traces	Contravening the rules
Knowing how the apple gets into the dumpling	Understanding the finer details
L
Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone	People enjoy your laughter but despise your tears
Laughter is the best medicine	It is better to have a good laugh
Like a bolt from the blue	With shocking suddenness
Like a duck to water	Naturally
Live and let live	Give others the understanding you want for yourself
M
Make a commitment	Decide to support
Money is the root of all evil	Money leads to excesses
Moving like a ship in sail	Moving slowly and with dignity
N
Necessity is the mother of invention	If you don’t have resources you become resourceful
Neither here nor there	Unimportant, nothing to do with matter discussed
Never bite the hand that feed you	Never attack a person who is generous to you
Never say die	Don’t give up
A new lease of (on) life	A radically improved health situation
Not long for this world	Said of someone clearly about to die
Not to bat an eyelid	Not to betray shock
No time like the present	Do it at once
No use crying over spilt milk	No use complaining once the harm is done
O
One’s own flesh and blood	One’s own blood relations
Only scratching the surface	Superficially
Opportunity knocks but once	Seize the opportunity for it seldom comes again
P
Papering over the cracks	Covering up embarrassing details
Parting is such sweet sorrow	To say goodbye can  be sorrowful, yet at the parting there is the hope and promise of the joy of meeting again. So within the sorrow there is sweetness
Perseverance will be rewarded	Keep trying and you’ll succeed
Pet aversion	The thing one dislikes most
Pipped at the post	Beaten when almost victorious
The place became too hot to hold him	For his own sake he had to leave the place
Pleading poverty	Pretending one is poor in the hope of getting gifts
Prior to	Before
Procrastination is the thief of time	To be slow to do your work is time-wasting
Proof positive	Conclusive evidence
Pulling a fast one	To deceive someone
Punctuality is the courtesy of kings	It is polite to be on time for an appointment
Putting one’s foot down	Forcibly refusing to continue negotiations
Putting up the bans	Announcing a proposed marriage

Dr Luky Whittle