Idioms

To back out (of) means to withdraw from a commitment or promise. (Ken said hed
set up the chairs for the conference, but he backed out. Can you help me set them
up?)
To back up can mean to move backwards, or to support someone. ("When my boss
started complaining about my overtime, his secretary backed me up. She reminded
him he had pushed me to get that work done immediately.") It can also mean to make
an extra copy of data: "Be sure and back up those files. We can't afford to lose them if
the computer goes down." Back-up can even be a noun or adjective: "The baseball
coach asked Jeremy to be ready if he needed a back-up pitcher."
To be (just) about to means to be almost ready to do something, just at the point of
doing it. (When the bell rang, I was just about to write the answer.)
To be back means that a person will again be home (or wherever he is currently)
after leaving for a while. (I have to pick up my son at school. Ill be back in half an
hour. See also come back.)
To be broke means to be out of money. (Id love to go to dinner with you, but Im
broke. Could we go next Saturday, after Im paid again?)
To be in the black means to be earning more than expenses; to have enough money
to pay the bills. A company thats in the black is making a profit.
To be in the red means not to be making enough money to cover expenses.
To be on track is to be continuing in the planned direction. A project that is on track
is going well-- just the way it should.
To be off track is when work or a project is not going according to its plan.
Important parts of it are wrong or behind schedule. (Think of a railroad car that has
gotten off its tracks. It cant go anywhere until its put back on.)
To be out of date (or outdated) means to not be a current or recent style or version
of a product. Its to be old-fashioned.
To be out of the woods means to have safely passed through some difficulty or
danger. Now the situation should get better.
To be up to date means to be current-- aware of (or part of) the most recent trends,
products, or fashions.
To be up to someone means that person is responsible to do something; it depends
on him or her. (Its up to the boss to decide whether we take on a project. However, if
he says yes and assigns it to you, its up to you to carry it out.)
Better late than never is not praise. It means someone or something is later than
they should be. However, not arriving at all would have been worse.
To blow up can mean to inflate (I blew up 50 balloons for the party.) It can also
mean to explode (the bomb blew up in his hand) or to explode with anger. (Watch
out what you say to Sharon. She blew up at Norma for no reason.) Sometimes "blow
your top" is used instead: "He blew his top when his son "borrowed" the car and
dented the bumper."
The bottom line is what is most important in a decision or business deal-- the one
thing that will make the difference between 'yes' and 'no.' (It refers to the sum at the
bottom line of a page of accounts-- what is left after all expenses are taken out.) "The
bottom line is you can't graduate unless you pass your English and math exam."
To break into means to enter by breaking a lock, window, or door. (Thieves broke
into the store and stole $2,000.)
To break up often means to end a relationship.
To bring up means to raise an issue or start a conversation about a subject. (Were
talking about vacations. Dont bring up your work problems now!)
 To bring someone up means to care for and guide a child to adulthood. (My parents
brought me up to respect authority.)
To burn the candle at both ends is to use up resources too fast. It usually refers to
a person working or studying so hard that they may damage their health. They might
not even be able to finish what they are trying to do.
To burn oneself out is similar: to work so hard at a difficult profession (often
teaching, nursing, or social work) that a person loses their enthusiasm and is no
longer able to do their best work.

Idioms Starting with C

To call off an event or meeting means to cancel it. (Fridays game was called off due
to rain.)
To call on means to ask someone to participate in class (The teacher kept calling on
Sue) It can also mean make a visit to someones home.
To catch an illness is to become sick. (Catch refers to receiving a contagious virus
or bacteria from someone else.)
To catch a vehicle (bus, plane, taxi, train) is to arrive at its stop, terminal, or station
in time to get onto it. (If youre not in time, you have missed the bus, plane, train,
boat, etc.)
To catch on means to begin to understand something. (Hal finally caught on to
Marks plan to cheat him.)
To catch up means to reach the same level or place (in a race, or to be able to travel
together) as someone else. (Youll have to study hard to catch up after missing class
for three days. Slow down! I cant catch up when you walk so fast!)
To come back means to return.
To come in means to enter.
To come over means to come to someones home. (Why dont you come over on
Saturday?)
To come up with means to think of a plan or solution. ("Sally is always coming up
with crazy ideas to get rich. She should try working harder instead,")
To cover for means to do someones work or take their responsibility for a short
time. (A secretary might ask a co-worker, Can you cover the phone for me during my
lunch hour?)
To cut back on (or cut down on) means to reduce the amount. (My doctor said I had
to cut back on sugar.)
To cut out means to eliminate entirely, or to stop doing something. (My doctor says
I need to cut out smoking if I want to live past 60. Youre annoying me! Cut it out!)
To do business with means to have business relations with a person or company.
Examples: "I like to do business with Green's Market (or some other company or
person), because they always treat their customers well." "My brother-in-law cheated
me the last time we did business together. I won't ever do business with him again."
To do over means to do a job again.
To do without (or get along without) means to live or work without something that
would be very useful. (You forgot your notebook again? Youll just have to do without
it for this class!)
To drop off means to deliver something or someone where needed. (Please drop the
kids off at school before dropping off my suit at the dry cleaners.)
To figure out means to understand a message or solve a problem.
To fill out (or fill in the blanks) means to write the requested information on a form.
To follow through is to complete what one has started or promised to do.
 To get along with means to have a good relationship with someone. (Sally gets
along well with Beth.)
To get back can be to return (come back). It can also be a command to move away
from danger: Get back! That cars about to blow up!
To get back at means to get revenge: "Tony took Joe's girlfriend, but Joe got back at
him by preventing him from getting a big role in the school play."
To get in(to) (or out of) cars or boats or on (or off) a bus, train, or plane means to
enter or to exit those vehicles. (Get on the train right away. It leaves in five
minutes.)
To get over means to recover from an illness, depression, or a bad situation or
relationship. (He left you six weeks ago. Get over it!)
To get rid of something is to dispose of it (throw it away.)
To get up is to get out of bed in the morning, or to stand up.
To give up is to surrender or to stop doing or using something. (He gave up eating
candy for Lent.)
To go down is to decrease. (The price of computers is going down.)
To go on (or to keep on) is to continue an action.
To go over means to review or discuss plans, work, homework, or a document.
To go up is to increase. (The cost of living is going up again.)
To hang up a phone is to end the call by setting the receiver in its cradle (or turning
off a cell phone.) To hang up a picture or curtains is to fasten them in place.
To hook up electronic equipment is to connect it. (Hook up can also be slang for
making a romantic or sexual connection.)
In the way means to be an obstacle or hindrance. (Dont get in my way! means
dont block me or hinder me from reaching my goal.)
Just in time means that something happened just a little while before it would have
been too late. (We also say it was a close call or in the nick of time.) They all mean
things are O.K., but something bad might have happened if there had been any
delay. Examples: You got here just in time. The boss was getting impatient. The
gas tank exploded two minutes after the accident. We got out of the car just in time.
To keep in touch means to maintain contact with someone.
To keep track of means to keep a record and know whats happening with
something.
To leave well enough alone means if its not broke, dont fix it. If a situation is
O.K., dont try to make things perfect, because changes might make things worse.
To look up can mean to search for information in a dictionary or other reference
book. (It can also mean just to look in an upward direction. That's not an idiom.)
To look up to someone means to admire them.
To lose track of means to stop being aware of something. Wow! Its almost time for
bed and I havent even eaten. I was so interested in that story that I lost track of the
time.
To make ends meet is to have enough money to pay for food and other necessities.
(Larry needs a better job. Right now he hardly earns enough to make ends meet.
To make money means to earn money (not to print it, which is illegal!)
To make trouble means to cause problems.for people.
To make up can be to compensate for a loss or for missed work. (You have until
Friday to make up any work you missed due to illness.") It can also mean to invent a
story or give an excuse (Did you really see Nancy or are you just making that up?),
or to reconcile with someone after a quarrel. (Make-up is also a noun meaning
cosmetics.)
 On the dot refers to being right on the hour, not a few minutes before or after the
hour mentioned. (The meeting will start at 2 PM on the dot.)
On the other hand means to look at things another way. The phrase is used in
discussions or formal writing to suggest a different point of view. (People need to
save more money. On the other hand, if everyone saved more, consumer spending
would go down and more businesses might fail.)
On time means at the appropriate time; neither early nor late. (Hes always on time
for work, or even a little early. Being punctual is important to him.)
One of these days means sometime soon, without setting a definite date or making a
commitment.(One of these days we need to have lunch together and catch up on
whats going on.)
Over ones head refers to something that is unfamiliar or difficult to understand.
(This class is way over my head. The professor might as well speak to us in Greek-- I
dont understand anything he says. Also: Anns sarcasm went right over Jims head.
He didnt get it-- he thought she was praising him!)
To pass away is to die. (Its a gentler way to say it.)
To pass out is to give (hand) out something (usually papers) or (2nd meaning) to
faint. (I have a friend that passes out if she stands in the sun too long.)
To pick on means to criticize or find fault with someone, and can involve bullying or
minor physical abuse. Famous advice for bullies: Why dont you pick on someone
your own size?)
To pick out means to choose or select one item from several. (Have you picked out
your prom dress yet?)
To pick up is to lift something off the floor, or to put things back in their proper
locations. (A mother tells her child to pick up your toys!) It can also mean to buy
something. ("Please pick up some milk and eggs at the store on your way.") It does
not mean to choose or to pull fruit or flowers off plants-- the two most common
meanings for 'pick.'
To put away means to put things where they belong. (Put the groceries away as
soon as you get home: meats and vegetables in the refrigerator, cereal in the
cupboards, and cleaning supplies under the sink.)
To put off is to postpone-- to wait until later to do something. (Dont put off doing
your homework any longer!)
To put on clothing means to get dressed. (To remove clothing is to take it
off, not put it off.)
To put something together is to assemble it (to connect all its parts.)
To put up with means to tolerate an uncomfortable or annoying situation.
To run into is to see someone familiar in an unexpected place. It doesnt usually
involve a physical collision, although it can. (Guess who I ran into at church? I
didnt even know Sheila was back in town!)
To run out of means to use the last of something and need more. (I cant believe I
ran out of sugar in the middle of making Christmas cookies!) See use up.'
To see eye to eye is to see things from the same perspective as someone else. (This
is similar to on the same page. See Common Idioms-- link below.)
To show up is to arrive at a gathering. Julia finally showed up late, as usual.
To stand out is to be prominent, noticeable, or outstanding.
To stick your (or his, her, etc.) nose into other people's business is to be
too curious about other people, especially about private affairs or relationships they
may not want to discuss or reveal. (It's another way of saying that someone is 'nosy.')
To take advantage of is to use a person or situation for ones own benefit, often
without his or her knowledge or approval.
 To take after is to resemble a parent or other relative in character or behavior.
(Johnny takes after his grandpa: just as stubborn and hard-nosed!)
To take apart is to separate or disassemble something. (Joe took the clock apart,
but he couldnt put the pieces together again.)
To take away can mean to subtract one number from another, or to remove
something form a place, or take something from a person. A "take away" is something
you have learned or gained from an experience.
To take back is to return something, or sometimes to withdraw or change a
comment. (I take back what I said about your driving. You handled that traffic today
really well, without letting it get under your skin.)
To take for granted is to not appreciate a privilege. (Sue takes her good health for
granted. She thinks shell always have it, even if she doesnt take care of herself.)
To take in someone usually means to deceive him (or her), though it can mean to
bring him into one's home and take care of (care for) him.
To take into account means to be sure to consider something: Remember to take
the new sales tax into account when you set the prices on these products.
To take it easy means to relax.
To take off can mean to remove clothing (He took off his jacket) or it can refer to a
plane leaving the ground (Fasten your seatbelts to prepare for takeoff.)
To take on a project is to make a commitment that you will do it.
To take out is to carry something outside: take food home from a restaurant or take
the trash out to throw it away. It can also be used to take a person out, for example,
to a restaurant or on a date.
To take over something is to take control of it. After World War 2 the Soviet Union
took over much of eastern Europe. When a company takes over a business it
becomes part of it.
To tell apart is to recognize the difference between similar things or people. (I cant
tell those twins apart. Which one is Sue?)
To think about is the most common way to speak about whatever is on our minds.
("Are you still thinking about the test you took yesterday?") In modern English we say
'think about', NOT 'think on' a subject.
To think of something is to bring it to mind-- to have a new idea or remember
something you already knew. ("Oh! I just thought of a better way to do that/make
those cookies/fix that problem"-- whatever the speaker and his listener had been
working on.)
To think over is to consider an idea-- usually more carefully than just to think
about it. (Thats our offer. Think it over and call us Monday.)
To think up something is to come up with a new idea. It's similar to 'think of,' but
less common except when planning some kind of joke, plot, or scheme
To throw away (or throw out) is to dispose of something worthless, usually by
putting it into a trash container.
Track See to be on (or off) track, to get side-tracked, to keep track of, and to lose
track of in
To try on clothing means to put it on before buying it to see if it fits.
To turn down means to reduce the setting on an electronic device for volume or
temperature control. (Turn down the TV!) It can also mean to politely refuse an
invitation. (Id love to go to the party with you, but I promised I would babysit, so Ill
have to turn you down this time.)
To turn off is to move a switch or lever to stop the flow of water, electricity, or gas.
(Turn off the stove as soon as you finish cooking! Turn off unused lights to reduce
 your electricity bill.) This can also be used metaphorically to describe something that
disgusts a person. (When he acts so superior, it really turns me off!)
To turn on is to move a switch or lever to start the flow of water, electricity, or gas.
(It can also be used metaphorically to describe something or someone that causes
sexual excitement: You really turn me on! This is a slang expression and could be
offensive.)
To turn out (often) means the way a story finishes. (So what happened to Julie? Did
the romance turn out OK in the end?)
To turn up can mean to increase the volume or temperature setting (see turn down.)
It can also mean to appear unexpectedly. (Joe turns up at any party where there is
free food! See show up-- they can be used the same way.)
To use up means to finish or exhaust the supply of something. (I cant make a cake.
Mary used up all the eggs! See run out of.)
To wake up means to return from sleep to full consciousness.
To watch out is to be careful (to look out.) (Watch out for that car behind you!)