Learning and Mastering English

American Idioms

All of it: the best

e.g. From the way he presented himself at the debate, he was all of it.

 Far cry from: very different from

e.g. Your achievement this time is a far cry from your previous one.

Sit on one’s hands: refuse to give any help

e.g. When we needed your help; you just sat on your hands.

As easy as pie: very easy

e.g. Cooking a turkey is as easy as pie.

Alive and kicking: living and healthy; okay

e.g. I had been sick for some time, but now I am alive and kicking.”

e.g. “How are you?” “Well, alive and kicking.”

Slang and Colloquial Expressions

Make no odds: make no difference

e.g. It makes no odds to me whether you come or not.

No oil painting: ugly.

e.g. To tell the truth, the dress you bought me is no oil painting.

Pardon my French: excuse my bad language.

e.g. Please pardon my French: I was so angry with his remarks.

Not a patch on: nothing to compare with; very inferior to.

e.g. Your current proposal is not a patch on your previous one.

Fall over oneself: too eager.

e.g. He fell over himself to get that job.

All the rage: fashionable.

e.g. Wearing a hat will be all the rage this summer.

Slow on the uptake: slow to understand.

e.g. I'm a bit slow on the uptake. Can you explain it once more?

Choice of Words

Adverse / Averse

Adverse means unfavorable; averse means opposed to.

e.g. We managed to survive in these adverse economic conditions.

e.g. He was averse to giving financial aids to the poor.

Await / Wait

Await means wait for an event, an occurrence, or a development; it does not require a preposition, such as for. Wait always carries the preposition for.

e.g. We await your decision.

e.g. The people were awaiting the outcome of the election.

e.g. He is waiting for your reply.

e.g. Don't wait for me; just go ahead.

Prepositional Words and Phrases

Follow on: die at a date later than someone.

e.g. His wife passed away. He followed on a few months later.

Follow through: continue to supervise.

e.g. I hope someone would follow through on this project until its completion.

Follow up:  check something out.

e.g. Please follow up this lead, and see what will happen next.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Learning and Mastering English