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each and every
- every (used for emphasis) I would like each and
every one of you to bring your textbooks tomorrow.
eager beaver
- person who is always eager to work or do extra
work He is a real eager beaver and is always available to work when we
need him.
earful
- scolding, a lot of information (often critical) He
really gave his daughter an earful when she came home late.
early bird catches the worm
- a person who gets up early in the morning has the best chance
of success He always goes to work before his colleagues because he
knows that the early bird catches the worm.
(keep/have one`s) ear to the ground
- pay attention to the way things are going or the way people
feel and think He always has his ear to the ground and knows
everything that is going on in our company.
ease off
- reduce in severity or pressure, relax The president
was asked to ease off on his efforts to save money in the company.
easy come, easy go
- something that you get easily can be lost easily He
doesn`t care if he loses his job or not. For him everything is easy come, easy
go.
easy does it
- do something without sudden movements or too
fast "Easy does it" he said as he helped to move the large piano.
easy-going
- tolerant and relaxed He has a very easy-going
management style.
eat away
- rot, erode, destroy The mildew has been eating away
at the window frame all summer.
eat crow
- admit one is mistaken or defeated He was forced to
eat crow when the figures that he gave us at the meeting were all wrong.
eat dirt
- accept another`s insult or bad treatment, act
humble He made the senior manager eat dirt as revenge for his bad
treatment in the past.
eat one`s heart out
- suffer greatly from longing You can eat your heart
out. I`m going to Hawaii for three weeks!
eat humble pie
- admit one`s error and apologize He had to eat humble
pie in front of his friends when they discovered his mistake.
(be) eating someone
- bothering or worrying someone I don`t know what is
eating her but she doesn`t seem to be in a good mood today.
eat like a bird
- eat very little He eats like a bird. That`s why he
can`t put on enough weight to join the football team.
eat like a horse
- eat a lot He eats like a horse but he never puts on
any weight.
eat one`s cake and have it too
- use or spend something and still keep it He always
wants to eat his cake and have it too and is never prepared to sacrifice
anything.
eat one`s words
- admit being wrong in something one has said, retract one`s
statement He was forced to eat his words after his boss proved that he
was wrong.
eat out
- eat in a restaurant He eats out three or four times
a week.
egg (someone) on
- urge or push someone to do something He is always
egging his friend on when he is angry which makes him even angrier.
eke out
- earn with difficulty He was unable to eke out a
living on the farm so he sold it.
elbow grease
- effort and strength to clean something We`ll have to
use a lot of elbow grease to get the kitchen cleaned.
elbow room
- space (enough to be comfortable) They moved to the
country in order to have a little more elbow room.
end in itself
- a purpose or goal one wants for itself alone and not as a way
to something else For some people travelling is an end in itself and
the destination is not important.
(at the) end of one`s rope
- the last of one`s ability or ideas about how to proceed or do
something He is at the end of his rope regarding what to do about his
job.
end up
- finish, finally do something We ended up going to
the restaurant after the movie last night.
even so
- nevertheless, however He always works hard but even
so he has no money saved.
every dog has his day
- everyone will have his chance or turn, everyone will get what
he deserves You should be patient and wait until you get a chance.
Remember every dog has his day.
every other
- alternate, every second one She has to work every
other Saturday evening.
every so often
- occasionally You should walk around every so often
when you are on a long plane trip.
every Tom, Dick and Harry
- the average person He said he is not the same as
every Tom, Dick and Harry.
eyes are bigger than one`s stomach
- one wants more food than one can eat His eyes are
bigger than his stomach. He will never finish all of the food that he took.
eyes in the back of one`s head
- ability to know what is happening behind one`s
back He has eyes in the back of his head and you can never borrow
anything without him knowing about it.
eyes pop out
- much surprised Her eyes popped out when she saw her
name in the newspaper. 
Idiom Quizzes - DE
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