CHARACTER traits, people, behaviour, HUMOUR

Bad apple

Troublemaker or undesirable person in a group.

Big cheese

Influential person.

Black sheep

Undesirable member of a group.

Blue blood

From noble, aristocratic or wealthy family.

Bookworm

Someone who reads a lot.

Born with a silver spoon in one's mouth

Born into a rich and affluent family.

Cat burglar

Thief who climbs into buildings.

Cheesy

Tacky, silly, inauthentic or cheap.

Coming of age

When something develops completely and reaches maturity; when a child becomes an adult.

Copycat

Someone who copies the work of another.

Couch potato

Lazy person who watches too much TV.

Curiosity killed the cat

Being inquisitive can lead you into an unpleasant or dangerous situation.

Dead wood

People or things that are no longer useful or necessary.

Eager beaver

Enthusiastic and hard worker.

Eat, sleep & breathe something

Being so enthusiastic and passionate about something that you think about it all the time.

Egg head

Studious and academic person.

Fish out of water

Feeling uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings.

Full of beans

Excited or very energetic and lively.

Golden boy

Young man idolised for a great skill, typically in sport.

Hard as nails

Without sentiment or sympathy for anyone.

Having one's heart set on something

Possessing a determination to achieve something.

Head in the clouds

Having unrealistic or impractical ideas.

In someone's black book

Be in disgrace or disfavour with someone.

Laugh a minute

Someone or something that is very funny.

Lights are on but nobody is home

Someone is stupid or lacking intelligence.

Living in an ivory tower

Living a lifestyle that saves or obscures you from real-world issues.

Monkey business

Mischievous or deceitful behaviour.

Not playing with a full deck

Lacking intelligence.

Off one's rocker

Crazy; demented; out of one's mind; in a confused or befuddled state of mind; senile.

Old hand

Person with a lot of experience in something.

Old school

Holding ideas that were popular and important in the past but which are no longer so.

On the ball

When someone understands the situation well or is doing well.

Raring to go

Being very eager or enthusiastic about the idea.

Road hog

Dangerous driver.

Roll out the red carpet

Greet a person with great respect and give them a big, warm welcome.

Sinking teeth into something

Doing something with a lot of energy and enthusiasm.

Sweet tooth

Liking for sweet-tasting foods.

Too many chiefs and not enough Indians

Too many people telling others what to do.

Top banana

Most important person in a group.

Top dog

Most important person.

Tough cookie

Very determined person.

Wouldn't be caught dead

Would never like to do something.

Yellow-bellied

Coward.

You can't teach an old dog new tricks

People used to doing things a certain way are often unable to change their ways.

a fair-weather friend (B2)

a loyal friend only during a time of success

not be cut out for sth (B2)

not be the right type of person for sth

a jack of all trades (C1)

sb who can do many different types of work

a rolling stone (C1)

sb who is unwilling to settle in one place

a stick-in-the-mud (C1)

someone who refuses to try anything new

behind the times (C1)

old-fashioned in your ideas, methods

dead wood (C1)

useless personnel or material

keep oneself to oneself (C1)

stay apart from other people

the salt of the earth (C1)

a very good and honest person

a sitting duck (C2)

sb who is easy to attack or easy to cheat

be full of the joys of spring (C1)

be lively and cheerful

hit/reach rock bottom (C1)

reach the lowest point possible

let your hair down (C1)

enjoy yourself and start to relax

like a dog with two tails (C1)

very happy and excited

make somebody's day (C1)

cause one to feel very happy

paint the town red (C1)

go out drinking, dancing

pull a long face (C1)

look sad, glum, or disappointed

cry your eyes out (C2)

cry in an uncontrolled way

down in the dumps/mouth (C2)

feeling unhappy or without hope

feel hard done by (C2)

treated harshly or unfairly

run in the family (C1)

a skill is present in many of your relatives

the men in grey suits (C1)

the powerful men in business or politics

the silent majority (C1)

the ordinary people not active politically

a self-made man (C2)

sb whose success is of their own making

follow in somebody's footsteps (C2)

do the same thing that sb else did

movers and shakers (C2)

people with a lot of power and influence

somebody's pride and joy (C2)

a person that someone is very proud of

the chattering classes (C2)

educated people who talk about politics

the spitting image (C2)

someone who looks very much like sb else

Has the cat got your tongue? (B2)

ask sb why he or she is not saying anything

a couch potato (C1)

sb who spends time sitting and watching TV

as clear as mud (C1)

not at all easy to understand

everything but the kitchen sink (C1)

almost all that you can imagine of sth

off the back of a lorry (C1)

be acquired in dubious circumstances

pigs might/can fly (C1)

used ironically to express disbelief

put a sock in it (C1)

used to tell someone to stop talking

chew the fat (C2)

have a long friendly conversation

famous last words (C2)

a phrase used to express disbelief, rejection

go bananas (C2)

become extremely angry or excited

a bag of bones (B2)

a very thin person or animal

a dark horse (B2)

sb who unexpectedly wins a competition

a pain in the neck (B2)

a person who is constantly annoying

a snake in the grass (B2)

a sneaky and despised person

as pale as a ghost (B2)

extremely pale

be all fingers and thumbs (B2)

be extremely awkward or clumsy

dressed to kill (B2)

wearing very fancy or attractive clothes

still waters run deep (B2)

quiet people are often very thoughtful

the black sheep of the family (B2)

the most unpopular member of a family

beauty is only skin deep (C1)

physical beauty is only a superficial thing

have a chip on your shoulder (C1)

have an angry or unpleasant attitude or way

look like nothing on earth (C1)

look very strange

a bundle of nerves (C2)

a very nervous or anxious person