Idioms and Common Expressions

Exercise 4

• Under-the-table payment:

  • Meaning: A secret, hidden action

• Under a cloud:

  • Meaning: Under suspicion due to a serious mistake

• Under construction:

  • Meaning: In the process of being built

• Under fire:

  • Meaning: Being criticized or held responsible

• Under new management:

  • Meaning: Controlled by a different person than before

• Under canvas:

  • Meaning: Living in a tent

• Under arms:

  • Meaning: Provided with weapons

• Under duress:

  • Meaning: Under threat or force

• Under age:

  • Meaning: Minor, not of legal age

• Under investigation:

  • Meaning: Under interrogation due to charges

Exercise 5: Color-related Expressions

• Red-letter day:

  • Meaning: An important day

• Red tape:

  • Meaning: Excessive or unnecessary rules

• Caught red-handed:

  • Meaning: To discover someone while doing something illegal

• Red herring:

  • Meaning: Something that distracts from the real problem

• Like a red rag to a bull:

  • Meaning: Certain to produce an angry reaction

• Made me see red:

  • Meaning: To become very angry

• Show the white feather:

  • Meaning: To show cowardice

• White elephant:

  • Meaning: Something that costs a lot of money

• White lie:

  • Meaning: A small lie told to avoid hurting someone

• Black sheep:

  • Meaning: The outcast

Exercise 6: Common Expressions

• Get out of bed on the wrong side:

  • Meaning: To be in a bad mood for the day

• Hit the nail on the head:

  • Meaning: To be exactly right

• See eye to eye:

  • Meaning: To come to the same opinion

• Kill two birds with one stone:

  • Meaning: Achieving two aims at once

• Put your foot in something:

  • Meaning: To embarrass someone unintentionally

• Finger in too many pies:

  • Meaning: Being involved in too many things

• Bone to pick with somebody:

  • Meaning: To be annoyed with someone and want to talk

• Feel something in your bones:

  • Meaning: To believe something strongly without explanation

• Put the cart before the horse:

  • Meaning: To do something in the wrong order

• Get your teeth into something:

  • Meaning: To become fully involved

• Keep an open mind:

  • Meaning: To wait for all facts before judgement

• Take the law into your own hands:

  • Meaning: To punish instead of waiting for legal action

• Turn the tables on somebody:

  • Meaning: To cause a complete reversal of circumstances

• Pay somebody back (in his own coin):

  • Meaning: To treat someone as they treated you

• Put all your cards on the table:

  • Meaning: To be very honest

• In a person's good or bad books:

  • Meaning: Being pleased with someone vs. not being pleased

• Give somebody a wide berth:

  • Meaning: To avoid or stay away from someone

• Get more than you bargained for:

  • Meaning: Receiving something unexpected, usually worse

• Make short work of something:

  • Meaning: To finish something quickly and easily

• Be out of step with somebody:

  • Meaning: To have different beliefs or opinions.