IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS

1. the land of milk and honey – a place where life is pleasant and easy and people are very happyEXAMPLE: She had always longed to travel to the United States and to see what she imagined as the land of milk and honey.

2. lay down your life – die forEXAMPLE: Thousands of young men laid down their lives in the war so that we could live again.

3. a leap in the dark – an action or a risk that you take without knowing anything about the activity or what the result will beEXAMPLE: Government ministers are being accused of talking a leap in the dark as they prepare to radically change the education system.

4. let your hair down – relax completely and enjoy yourself , especially after a period when you have not been able to do soEXAMPLE: Why don’t you let your hair down a bit?

5. lie through your teeth – tell very obvious lies without being embarrassedEXAMPLE: The witness was clearly lying through his teeth.

6. look down your nose – behave in a way that suggests that you think that you are better than, or that is not good enough for youEXAMPLE – Why do you always look down your nose at people who have less money than you?

7. be looking over your shoulder – be anxious and have the feeling that is going to do unpleasant or armful to youEXAMPLE: Many employees are looking over their shoulders, because jobs are at risk and nobody knows who will be next.

8. melt in your mouth – be soft and very good to eatEXAMPLE: They serve steaks that just melt in your mouth.

9. merge into the background – behave quietly when you are with a group of people so that they do not notice youEXAMPLE: Nick didn’t say anything during the meeting, and it was obvious that he was desperately trying to merge into the background.

10.put your money where your mouth is – show that you really mean what you sayEXAMPLE: The government talks about helping disabled people, but doesn’t put its money where its mouth is.

11.keep your nose clean – do nothing that will get into trouble with the police or other authoritiesEXAMPLE: After he came out of the prison, he was determined to keep his nose clean.

12.nutty as a fruitcake - completely crazyEXAMPLE: He is as nutty as a fruitcake.

13.paper over the cracks – try to hide a problem or disagreement in a way that is temporary and not likely to be successfulEXAMPLE: These new prison reforms are just papering over the cracks.

14.go through your paces – perform a particular activity in order to show other people what you are capable of doingEXAMPLE: We watched the trainee waiters going through their paces.

15.make a pig of yourself – eat and drink too much, be greedyEXAMPLE: She always makes such a pig of herself.

16.rack your brains – try very hard to think of or rememberEXAMLE: I have been racking my brains all day trying to remember his name.

17.read between the lines – find or look for a hidden or extra meaning in a person says or writes, usually their real feelings aboutEXAMPLE: Reading between the lines, it was obvious that he was feeling lonely.

18.roll with the punches – adapt yourself into a difficult situationEXAMPLE: Well, there’s nothing we can do to change things. We’ll just have to learn to roll with the punches.

19.scratch your head – think hard in order to find an answerEXAMPLE: We are all scratching our heads for an answer to the problem.

20.shoot yourself in the foot – do or say stupid which is against your own interestEXAMPLE: You had better prepare your argument carefully – you don’t want to shoot yourself in the foot.

Republic of the Philippines

MINDORO STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGYMain Camus

Alcate, Victoria, Oriental Mindoro

IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS

ENGLISH FOR ESPICIFIC PORPUSESCourse Discription

Submitted to

DR. CECILIA G. SALAZARDirector for Graduate Studies

Submitted by

MERLITO A. MARCIANO, JR.Student

FEBRUARY 06, 2013Date of Submission