Vocabulary – Learn American English Online

Popular Expressions Used in the U.S.

back to the drawing board

back to the drawing board: go back to the place where you started; to start over.

Our ideas were rejected, so it looks like we’re back to the drawing board.

(the) ball is in (one’s) court

(the) ball is in (one’s) court: this reference to tennis means that it’s someone’s turn to respond in a situation that goes back and forth.

We’ve made our offer. Now the ball is in their court.

we’ve made = we have made

This is the present perfect tense.

bang (one’s) head against the wall

bang (one’s) head against the wall: an expression used when someone is angry or frustrated.

He’s tired of banging his head against the wall when working with difficult customers online.

bark is worse than (one’s) bite

bark is worse than (one’s) bite: to look or sound mean or dangerous, but in reality be relatively harmless; not really dangerous.

Don’t worry about Poco. He might look mean, but his bark is worse than his bite.

bark up the wrong tree

bark up the wrong tree: to waste one’s time; to do something and not get a result.

You’re barking up the wrong tree if you think I can help you. You’ll have to ask someone else.

batten down the hatches

batten down the hatches: get ready for something bad or a serious situation.

Batten down the hatches. A big storm is coming.

be my guest

be my guest: go ahead; it’s okay; it’s okay to use something that a person owns.

A: Do you mind if I try your guitar?

B: No, not at all. Be my guest.

be that as it may

be that as it may: this is true, but…

A: There’s a big storm ahead of us.

B: Be that as it may, we’re just going to have to drive right through it.

beat a dead horse

beat a dead horse: to make a point over and over again; to do something excessively without a result.

Trying to get an answer from that company is like beating a dead horse. They just won’t return my calls.

What does the word "beat" mean?

beat someone at (one’s) own game

beat someone at (one’s) own game: to gain advantage over someone who is good at something or in a strong position.

Sarah thinks she can beat her older coworkers at their own game by making use of the internet to increase sales.

beat the living daylights out of someone

beat the living daylights out of someone: to defeat; to beat up

The U.S. military forces beat the living daylights out of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

been there, done that

been there, done that: to say that someone has already done something; to say that an experience is not new. (Be careful with this expression. It can sound a little rude.)

Oh, he’s going to the Mall of America? Big deal. Been there, done that.

begin to see the light

begin to see the light: start to understand something.

Americans are beginning to see the light when it comes to global climate change.

better late than never

better late than never: it’s better to be late than not to show up at all.

Bob thought it was better to be late than never to meet Carol outside the movie theater. When he gave her some flowers, she forgave him for being so late.

"Better late than never."

better safe than sorry

better safe than sorry: it’s better to do anything that will keep you safe rather than do nothing and take a risk.

Rhonda always wears her seat belt when she drives figuring it’s better to be safe than sorry.

between a rock and a hard place

between a rock and a hard place: to be caught between two difficult situations; to make a decision between two possibly bad outcomes.

Henry was between a rock and a hard place when he had to decide whether to stay with his wife and kids or go serve in the military.

a big fish in a small pond

a big fish in a small pond: a person whose circle of friends or business acquaintances is very small, thereby inflating his or her feeling of importance.

Rodney would never move his business from Knoxville to New York City. He likes being a big fish in a small pond.

(the) bigger they come, the harder they fall

(the) bigger they come, the harder they fall: the larger the person or the thing, the more difficult it is to bring down. (This is usually used with people, but it can be used with things.)

Chopping down this tree is going to be a challenge. The bigger they come, the harder they fall.

You can find more expressions that use the word "big" on this page.

bite off more than (one) can chew

bite off more than (one) can chew: to try to do something that might be too difficult to accomplish.

Gordon thought he could build the house all by himself, but it looks like he bit off more than he could chew.

bite the hand that feeds you

bite the hand that feeds you: to hurt someone who helps you; to go against the person or thing that provides something necessary.

We were all surprised to hear Lisa say something so mean to her boss’s face. It’s not wise to bite the hand that feeds you.

blind leading the blind

blind leading the blind: to follow or lead people without necessary skills; to choose a bad leader.

It’s hard to believe that they chose him as their new leader. It’s like the blind leading the blind.

(be) born with a silver spoon in (one’s) mouth

(be) born with a silver spoon in (one’s) mouth: to be born rich.

He doesn’t understand the financial difficulties faced by average people. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

breathe new life into something

breathe new life into something: to make something new again.

We’re going to try to breathe new life into this old house by remodeling it.

bright-eyed and bushy tailed

bright-eyed and bushy tailed: ready to do something, especially early in the morning.

I don’t feel bright-eyed and bushy tailed until I’ve had a couple cups of coffee in the morning.

bring (someone) into the world

bring (someone) into the world: to have a baby.

They can think of no greater responsibility than to bring a baby into the world.

Learn how to use the modal verb "can" by clicking here.

bucks stops here, the

bucks stops here, the: the responsibility for decisions and results is found at the top of an organization. (originated by President Harry Truman and used by U.S. Presidents who have followed him.)

The buck stops here. If we lose money on this deal, I’ll take the responsibility for the decision.

What does the word "buck" mean?

burn (one’s) bridges

burn (one’s) bridges: By burning your bridges, you are unable to go back to a previous position; you do or say something that makes it impossible to return to the situation before.

Victor was warned not to burn his bridges when he left his job to work at another company.

burn the candle at both ends

burn the candle at both ends: to work or play too much; not to get enough sleep because of activities.

Daryl thinks he can burn the candle at both ends, but because he stays up so late he’s having a hard time getting things finished during the day.

busy as a beaver

busy as a beaver: beavers are known to work very hard at building their homes, and so it seems as if they’re always working. When someone works very hard or is always busy, we say….

He’s busy as a beaver.

by the skin of (one’s) teeth

by the skin of (one’s) teeth: to finish something just in time; to reach a goal but just barely.

He made it on time to his meeting by the skin of his teeth.

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back and forth = to go between two places, again and again. He bikes back and forth between his job and his apartment every day.
back up = to support, to help someone Robert plans to back up his wife when she delivers her baby. (used as an infinitive) also… If he is unable to drive her to the hospital, they have a back up plan. His brother can drive her there. (used as an adjective)
be at it = to do something; to practice or learn how to do something. A: They love to play with those blocks. B: Yeah, they’ve been at it for the last hour. (Note: This idiom is often used in the present perfect tense)
bend over backwards = to work hard at something; to try to help someone. The government bent over backwards to get the I-35W bridge rebuilt.
better off = in a situation that is good–better than before. Jen thinks she’s much better off with her new boyfriend. Her old boyfriend wasn’t very nice to her.
break down = a machine stops working, usually used for cars Tim’s car breaks down all the time. He has to get a new one. This is the third time it has broken down this week. (present perfect)
bring up = to say something; to introduce a topic for conversation. If you have chest pains that don’t go away, you should probably bring that up with your doctor next time you see him.
break up = 1. to make something small; 2. to end a relationship. She got a phone call from her boyfriend. He told her he wanted to break up with her. (definition #2)
bump into = meet someone you know by chance or by accident. On the way home from the store, Alice bumped into an old friend she hadn’t seen in years.
by the way = This idiom is used when you want to introduce something new in a conversation. It’s usually off topic. "Juggling is easy for me. I’ve been juggling for years. By the way, I also know how to do backwards somersaults."

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The word "delay" can be used as a verb or as a noun when describing a situation in which something or someone is late. In fact, "delay" has a similar meaning to the adjective "late," but you can’t use "late" as a verb or as a noun.

My flight was delayed for about two hours. (The plane was late. This sentence is in the passive voice. "Delay" is often used in the passive voice.)
I’m sorry I’m late. I was delayed by traffic.
You should expect to be delayed if you drive on a highway where there’s a lot of construction.
They’re going to delay their wedding until next year. (delay = put off; postpone)
Don’t delay. Try to make a decision now.

All of these sentences use "delay" as a noun:

There was a 30-minute delay during the game because of rain.
Highway construction causes big delays during rush hour.
Now that the problem has been solved, there should be no further delay.
A big snowstorm created delays at the airport.
If you order now, there won’t be any delay.

Road construction causes delays for commuters.

Click here to learn more words.

July 23, 2014

The word "able" is almost always used with "be" and "to." Together these words form a verb phrase. When a person can do something or has the ability or time to do something, use "be able to" to describe the situation. It’s very similar to "can."

She’s able to speak English. (She can speak English.)
He isn’t able to finish his work. (He can’t finish his work.)
We’re able to donate money to that organization.
I’m not able to see you today.
Why aren’t you able to help me?

Sometimes "be able to" appears with modal verbs or other verb phrases:

Tom has to be able to use his computer.
Sarah wants to be able to leave work early today. (She wants permission from her supervisor.)
Are you going to be able to get your homework finished?
If you want this job you must be able to speak English well.

"Be able to" is often used at the end of a sentence in the negative:

He wanted to go to the party, but he wasn’t able to.
I’d love to see you, but I’m not able to.
The police officer told her to move her car, but she wasn’t able to. The battery was dead.

Click here to go to the Word of the Day page.

December 14, 2011

Words That Rhyme with "Trump"

He’s the 45th President of the United States:-( Trump.

Directions: Write your answers in your notebook. Afterwards, click on the answers link at the bottom of the page.

It’s fun to do this when you go to a lake: .

A camel has one or two of these: .

It’s the thing from which you buy gas for a car: .

When one car hits another they .

The rear end of an animal is also called a .

It’s the place where garbage goes: .

It’s what remains when a tree is cut down: .

A person who is sick might get this in his throat: .

A person who always complains is known as a .

Mushrooms grow together in a .

Click here for the answers.

The word "delay" has moved here.

airhead

airhead: a person who is a little stupid or unable to concentrate.

I’m such an airhead today. I forgot to bring my lunch to work.

a.k.a.

a.k.a.: also known as (pronounce each letter: a – k – a). Used for someone or something with two names.

His name is James Bond–a.k.a. Agent 007

(007 = double O 7)

all about ___

all about ___: This recently became popular. Use it before an interest or something that you desire.

He’s all about his job these days. He never stops talking about what he does at work.

all-out

all-out: used as an adjective to mean a person or a group works very hard at something.

The employees at that company are making an all-out effort to survive the recession.

artsy or artsy-fartsy

artsy or artsy-fartsy: A person or thing that tries too hard to show off artistic qualities.

There were all these artsy-fartsy people at the party, so we left.

asap (ASAP)

asap (ASAP) = as soon as possible

I have to get this letter mailed asap.

Attention: Some slang is inappropriate in certain situations such as at work or in school.

What do these proverbs mean?

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

(All parts of an organization are important, even the smallest and weakest parts.)

A fool and his money are soon parted.

(Foolish people lose their money easily.)

A friend in need is a friend indeed

(Friends prove their friendship when they help each other.)

A good man is hard to find.

(It’s hard to find a man who is good. This proverb is often used by women.)

A house divided against itself cannot stand.

(A country or some previously unified group will experience failure if it can’t solve its differences.)

A house is not a home.

(A house is just a building, but a home is a place where there is love and caring for the people in it.)

A leopard cannot change its spots.

(A person cannot change his ways.)

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

(Some people make decisions without having enough information, or they believe they have complete knowledge about a thing when in fact they do not.)

A man’s home is his castle.

(A man or woman is the ruler inside his or her home. Any person can be a king or a queen at home.)

A penny saved is a penny earned.

(Saving money can be just as good or useful as making money.)

A person is known by the company he keeps.

(Whom you choose to be friends with says a lot about who you are. If your friends are bad people, you might be considered to be a bad person also–even if you aren’t.)

A picture is worth a thousand words.

(A picture can provide a lot more information or truth about something than a written description.)

A rising tide lifts all boats.

(When there is success, other people are also positively affected by that success.)

A rolling stone gathers no moss.

(If you are always active and doing something, you will remain strong and vital. If you become inactive, you will lose your skills and abilities.)

A stitch in time saves nine.

(You can save a lot of time in the future by making relatively small changes.)

A woman’s place is in the home.

(A woman should not work outside the home.)

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

(When you are away from someone you love, your love for that person increases.)

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

(Having too much power will always lead to corruption and the misuse of one’s position.)

Actions speak louder than words.

(It’s what you do that matters–not what you say.)

All good things come to he who waits.

(If a person can be patient, eventually good things will happen as a result of that patience.)

All good things must come to an end.

(Eventually, a good situation will end or change. Nothing can last forever.)

All that glistens is not gold.

(Money and wealth are not the most valuable things in life. There are other things just as valuable such as one’s family or good health.)

All things must pass.

(Life is full of changes; no matter how bad something is, it will likely change in the future.)

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

(A person can’t work all the time. If a person always works, he or she will become uninteresting.)

All’s fair in love and war.

(A person is permitted to do whatever is necessary to win the love and affection of someone else.)

All is well that ends well.

(Everything is okay if it comes to a good conclusion.)

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

(If you eat healthy food or have a healthy lifestyle, it won’t be necessary to use the services of a doctor.)

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

(It’s a good idea to prevent a problem from occurring because solving a problem can be expensive or difficult.)

April showers bring May flowers.

(The rain that we get in April is responsible for the beautiful flowers in May.)

Ask a silly question and you’ll get a silly answer.

(It stands to reason that a bad question or a question that is not properly formed will yield an answer that is equal to the question.)

across the board: in all areas of the business or the organization; an even effect.

The manager of our department announced that the company needs to make cuts across the board in order to save money.

bail out: to provide financial assistance in order to save a business from financial ruin.

The U.S. government bailed out GM by buying up shares of the company.

bottom line: the final result; money made or lost.

Before making any more investments in his company, he’ll need to take a close look at his bottom line.

bet on: to believe that a result will be good; to take a risk or a chance.

Melissa’s company is betting on consumer interest in green technologies in order to improve sales.

branch out: to make a company larger by adding more locations or more products.

They want to branch out into the southwestern part of the state.

break even: to show neither a profit nor a loss.

It’s a good thing we had a good year last year and saved our cash because this year we’re barely breaking even.

build up: to increase

We’ll need to build up our inventory before the busy holiday season.

buy drinks: to buy alcohol for other people, usually at a bar or a restaurant.

You should have gone out with us last night. The boss was buying everyone drinks to celebrate a good quarter.

buy on credit: to purchase something with borrowed money; to use a loan or a credit card to buy something.

We buy everything on credit and then pay it off at the end of the month.

buy out: to buy an entire company and take control of it; to pay an employee to leave a company, usually someone who is older and near retirement.

Do you think there will be a buyout? We might lose our jobs if that happens.

CEO: Chief Executive Officer = the head of the company.

The company’s stock fell sharply after it was announced that the CEO was leaving the company.

change course: to do something that is completely different; to change direction.

We’re changing course with the introduction of some new products next year.

do business with: work another person or company; to exchange goods and services for money.

It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.

double check: check twice; to look at information more than once.

Let me double check those numbers and I’ll get back to you.

figure out: to think of an answer oneself; to fix a problem.

After studying the problem over several weeks, Emril finally figured out why his customers weren’t coming into the store.

gangbusters: great; very successful.

At first we weren’t doing very well with our sales, but now we’re going gangbusters.

get back to: call back; return with information.

I’m sorry, I don’t have the name of the person who hosted the conference. Let me get back to you with that.

go public: to make ownership of a company available to the general public through the sale of shares (stock) in the company.

If I had purchased Apple when they went public, I’d be a very rich man right now.

hard sell: to work very hard at selling something; to push one’s products on a customer. (this is not a good thing to do!)

Kevin grew tired of the salesman’s hard-sell approach, so he quickly left the store.

in the black: the period during which a company shows a profit.

Many retailers aren’t in the black until around Thanksgiving.

in the red: the period during which a company shows a loss.

It looks like we’re going to stay in the red for the rest of the year.

keep at it: keep working; don’t give up.

Owning and operating a popular restaurant isn’t easy, but if you keep at it, you will succeed.

make out: to do well; to be successful.

Joe must have made out pretty well this week because he’s buying everyone drinks.

make a profit: to make money; subtract expenses from gross sales to find out the net profit.

Felicia’s store is going to make a very large profit on the sale of those computers.

make up: to consist of; to be a part of.

Our staff is made up dedicated professionals who take pride in their work.

(be) on the market: available to the general public for purchase.

The Chevy Volt won’t be on the market until later this year.

pay off: to pay all of something that was purchased on credit.

You should try to pay off your credit cards as soon as possible; otherwise, you’ll have to continue to pay a large amount of interest every month.

put out: produce; make; manufacture

They’re putting out the finest furniture that you can buy at these prices.

sell off: to sell one thing or to sell all the pieces of a company.

Uri decided to sell off his business and retire to Florida.

sell out: to sell all of a company’s products or tickets.

The children’s toys became popular so quickly that they sold out within a week. No one could find them anywhere.

ship out: to send products by mail.

The manufacturing plant in China will ship out the parts we need tomorrow.

take a loss: to lose money; expenses exceed sales; to sell something at a price that is higher than the cost of acquisition.

It’s okay to take a loss on that investment. We can write it off on our taxes.

take a nosedive: to go down; to suddenly decrease in value.

The stock we bought last year took a nosedive yesterday when its quarterly profits were announced.

take off: to do very well; to become successful.

After five years of struggling to succeed, our business is finally starting to take off.

take over: to become responsible; to take control of something; to become the new owner.

Ed Wilson is going to take over the position of CEO in August.

turnover: attrition; the constant change in employees hired and then lost by a company due to firing or quitting.

The rate of employee turnover is too high for this company. We don’t have enough experienced people at any one time.

tool: anything that helps you achieve a desired result: skills, software, incentives, rubrics, spreadsheets, databases, etc. (This is a very popular word used in business–so popular, in fact, that its overuse has turned it into a silly cliche)

Our company wants to use this software as a tool for reinventing itself.

tool box / tool kit: a collection of tools (described above)

We’re going to need all the tools in the tool kit in order to focus on this problem.

work on: to improve something; to create something new.

Danielle is working on a new sales presentation.

work out: to find a solution; to come to an agreement.

Do you think we can work out a deal? We really want to buy this car.

write off: to take a deduction on taxes; something that decreases the amount of money that is paid in taxes.

We can write off the cost of this lunch if we spend a little time talking about doing business together.

about time = finally. It’s about time they got married. They’ve been living together for five years.
(be) about to = almost, soon He’s just about to blow out the candles on his birthday cake.
after all = after everything that happened / despite the facts This was an expensive car, but I decided to buy it after all.
all of a sudden = something happens quickly. All of a sudden, the boy slipped while riding on his skateboard.
as if = similar; something has a similar quality. His headache was so bad it felt as if his head was in a vise.
as soon as = after something happens; immediately after Nguyen started to eat his food as soon as it was served to him.
as well as = and She’s strong as well as beautiful.
at least = to the smallest degree. Jim forgot it was his wife’s birthday last week. At least he gave her some flowers the next day.

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