101 English Idioms

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No stone will be left unturned in the investigation into the murder.

Bothsideshavevowed toleaveno stoneunturnedin thesearchforpeace.

The first few months were difficult, but I think itll be plain sailing from here on.

The French won the game, but it wasnt all plain sailing.

You can keep asking until the cows come home, but shell never say yes.

I could sit here and argue with you till the cows come home, but it wouldn't solve anything.

You can give her advice, but it just goes in one ear and out the other.

Everything I say to you seems to go in one ear and out the other. Why don't you pay attention?

When asked about crime, the mayors knee-jerk reaction is to call for longer prison sentences.

He said that they were just a bunch of knee-jerk liberals.

They told me I was too old for the job, and then to add insult to injury, they refused to pay my expenses!

He said my clothes didn't suit me, and then to add insult to injury he said I needed to lose some weight!

She knew he fancied her, but preferred to keep their relationship platonic.

I thought he fancied me, but I'd completely misread the signals.

He just clams up if you ask him about his childhood.

The politician clammed up when the reporters started to ask about the scandal.

She's got the committee firmly under her thumb - they agree to whatever she asks.

He's been under his mother's thumb since the day he was born.

How can you work in a small room like this? There's not enough room to swing a cat.

In our old flat there wasn't enough room to swing a cat.

All mothers of young children should try to find some me time.

When I have a million and one things going on, as many college students do, my running time becomes my daily me time.

The business is in trouble, but we are just about keeping our heads above water.

I dont have a job, and I need to pay my rent, bills, and buy food. Im having a difficult time keeping my head above water.

He always gets keyed up about tests.

Why are you so keyed up about nothing?

She is all keyed up over her son's health.

They expect us to work for peanuts.

I need a raiseI'm sick of still working for peanuts after three years!

If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

I've read the proposal and it looks promising, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Let's see if this ad actually helps salesthe proof of the pudding, you know.

My coach yelled 'close, Mike, but no cigar,' when I was unable to break my previous record on the 100 yard dash.

Despite demographic changes, all signs are that it will be another case of close but no cigar.

When she started borrowing my clothes without asking, I had to put my foot down.

The boss put her foot down and refused to accept any more changes to the plan.

One more mistake and you're toast.

If you're in the game long enough, you're going to be the toast of the town one day, and the next day you'll be toast.

In my mad attempt to get everything done I had been burning the candle at both ends, staying up too late and getting up too early.

If you continue to burn the candle at both ends, youre heading for a burnout!

The company stopped using certain chemicals only after some workers blew the whistle on it.

It's time to blow the whistle on waste and fraud in federal agencies.

He seemed so normal. Who had any idea he had so many skeletons in his closet?

I have no skeletons in my cupboard, because they're all out there to see.

Percy was always buttering up the boss, so he was surprised when he failed to get a promotion.

You'll have to butter them up a bit if you want them to agree to our plan.

I need to get something off my chest: my name is Martin and I have a secret crush on Theresa May. Emily, I have to confess that I've had a crush on you since high school.

They left me tosink or swimon my own.

In this job, it'ssink or swim.

Congress cut off the lifeline in 2014, largely leaving counties to sink or swim on their own.

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This problem is getting me down. It's a hard nut to crack.

Thinking outside the box, like any skill, is one that can be developed through practice.

We were going to go bungee jumping, but Sandra chickened out at the last minute.

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