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“Melting Pot”“Australia is a melting pot”

“America is a melting pot”

English Idioms and Expressions

What is an idiom? - An expression that does not have literal meaning

- When certain words are put together, they have a different meaning compared to when the words are separated

- An idiom does not have to follow grammatical rules

“It’s raining cats and dogs”

It is raining heavily

What are some idioms that you know?

Arm and a legA. To be expensiveB. Hurt your arm and legC. To be cheap D. Pay the regular price

“Costs an arm and a leg”

Something is expensive

“I wanted to buy that coat but it costs an arm and a leg”

Deep Pockets

A. Very PoorB. Hole in your pocketsC. Very RichD. Many pockets

“Deep Pockets”

Rich“I need deep pockets to buy that house”

“That man has deep pockets, he’d make the perfect husband”

Swimming In Money

A. Like to go swimmingB. Swimming is expensiveC. Swimming is cheapD. Very Rich

“Swimming in money”

Rich

“That man is very successful, he must be swimming in money”“I’d have to be swimming in money to afford that new car”

Break Even

A. To hurt a man named EvenB. Make no money and lose no moneyC. To break your even boneD. Make a profit

“breaking even”

“If we sell one more drink we’ll break even”“We’ll be breaking even with $500 more!”

[money gained] [money lost]

Bring Home The Bacon

A. Bring a pig homeB. Bring home a piggy bank to store moneyC. Earn moneyD. Sell bacon to make money

“Bring home the bacon”

Earn Money“This new job lets me bring home the bacon”

“Will that new shop down the street be able to bring home the bacon?

Burn a hole in your pocket

A. Your money is on fireB. You have no more moneyC. Spending money too fastD. You have so much money you can burn it

“burn a hole in your pocket”

Spending money too fast“I just got paid today and my money is burning a hole in my pocket”

“Lets go out and have fun! I have money that is burning a hole in my pocket”“If you keep spending your money like that, it’s going to burn holes in your

pocket”

On the house

A. FreeB. ExpensiveC. CheapD. Your money is on top of your house

“on the house”

“It’s OK guys, dinner is on the house!”“These drinks are on the house”

Worth your salt

A. Getting paid in saltB. Selling saltC. Worth what you are paidD. Very rich

“Worth your salt”

“that new guy we hired is sure worth his salt”“my doctor is worth is salt”

Worth what you are paid – Respect – Getting good value in a person

Make a killing

A. So much money you can kill someoneB. Make a lot of moneyC. Make a little bit of moneyD. Kill money

“Make a killing”

“I made a killing playing the stock market!”“I made a killing at the casino last night”

Make a lot of money

Money doesn’t grow on trees

A. There is no money growing on treesB. You can plant and grow moneyC. Money isn’t easy to come byD. Money is easy to make

“money doesn’t grow on trees”

“Turn off the lights! Money doesn’t grow on trees!”

Money is not easy to come by / earn

Animal Idioms

Ant’s in your pants

A. Your legs are itchyB. You have ants biting youC. You can’t stop movingD. You are

“Ants in your pants”

“I’ve got ants in my pants!”“Michael had ants in his pants before the big competition”

Someone who can not stop moving

Cat’s got your tongue?

A. Someone who doesn’t speak oftenB. Someone who can’t talk back to youC. To talk very oftenD. To argue very well

“cat’s got your tongue”

“I’ve got ants in my pants!”“Michael had ants in his pants before the big competition”

Someone who does not talk oftenWhen someone cannot talk back to

you

Stubborn as a mule

A. To eat very fast, like a muleB. To run as fast as a muleC. Someone who follows orders easilyD. Someone who is very stubborn

“as stubborn as a mule”

“My son never listens. He’s as stubborn as a mule”

Someone who is very stubborn (does not listen, does not follow orders,

unreasonable)

Kill two birds with one stone

A. To hunt and kill birds very wellB. Complete two tasks at onceC. Someone who has good aimD. To fly as fast as a bird

“two birds with one stone”

“If I go shopping now, I can also go to the bank! Two birds with one stone”

Complete two tasks at the same time

Chicken out

A. To be braveB. To be scaredC. To eat a lot of chickensD. Hate eating meat

“Chicken Out”

“I was going to swim with the sharks but I chickened out”“You’re such a chicken!”

“Chicken!”

To be scaredScared easily

His bark is worse than his bite

A. All talk no actionB. Someone who yells very loudC. Someone who likes to bite peopleD. All action no talk

“bark is worse than the bite”

“That man’s bark is worse than his bite”

Someone who can talks more than actsAll talk and no action

Hold your horses

A. Go horse ridingB. Run as fast as a horseC. As strong as a horseD. Stop what you are doing

“hold your horses”

“Hold your horses or you’re going to crash!”Let’s go!” “Hold your horses!”

Stop what you are doingSlow down

Common Slang Terms

“Mad!”

“Mad! I get paid today!”

“I just bought tickets to the Jay Chou concert” “That’s Mad!”

“I have 3 days off work tomorrow! Sweet!”

Something that is goodSomething that is awesome

Something that is cool

“Sick!”“sweet!”

“you’re so hot”

“That girl is so hot!”“Jay Chou is so hot!”

Someone who is good lookingHandsomeBeautiful

“You SUCK!”

“I ate all your food” “You suck!”“I can’t go with you to the movies today” “Aw You suck!”

You are bad, you are terribleUsually said as a joke