|
idiot box
- television set He sits in front of the idiot box all
day and never gets any work done.
if the shoe fits, wear it
- if what is being said in general describes you then it
probably means you He was complaining that most of the workers at his
company were lazy. However his friend looked at him and said that if the shoe
fits, wear it.
if worst comes to worst
- if the worst possible thing happens If worst comes
to worst we can cancel our holiday and go next year.
ill at ease
- feel nervous/uncomfortable He appeared to be ill at
ease during the interview.
in a bind
- in trouble They will really be in a bind if they
can`t sell their house by next month.
in advance
- ahead of time They bought the tickets in advance so
that they could get a good seat.
in a family way
- pregnant, going to have a baby Our new secretary is
in a family way and plans to take a few months off from work soon.
in a fog (haze)
- confused, not sure what is happening He is always in
a fog and never seems to know what is going on.
in a hole
- in some trouble, in an embarrassing or difficult
position He is really in a hole now that he has problems both at work
and at home.
in a hurry
- a need to move or act quickly He is very busy and
always in a hurry.
in a jam
- in trouble He is really in a jam now that his car is
not working properly.
in a kind (sort) of way
- to a certain extent, a little, somewhat I would like
to go in a kind of way but still I don`t think that I will bother going today.
in and out
- coming in and going out often He has been in and out
all day but I don`t know where he is at the moment.
in a nutshell
- briefly I tried to explain the problem to him in a
nutshell but there still wasn`t enough time.
in any case (event)
- no matter what happens, surely, without fail I may
not be able to meet you next week but in any case I will still give you the
books before then.
in a pig`s eye
- hardly, unlikely, not so In a pig`s eye will I let
him borrow my car next weekend.
in a pinch
- okay when nothing else is available That other tool
will do in a pinch if we can`t find the correct one.
in arms
- armed, ready to fight They are all in arms since
they found out about the wage decrease.
in a rush
- in a hurry They got the job done in a big rush so I
am a little worried about the quality.
in a rut
- always doing the same thing She feels that she is in
a rut after doing the same job for seven years.
in a spot
- in some trouble, in an embarrassing or difficult
position She is really in a tight spot right now since she was unable
to enter university and also has no job.
in a way
- to a certain extent, a little, somewhat In a way I
would like to go but basically I don`t care.
in a word
- briefly, to sum up In a word, the problem with the
car is that it needs a new motor.
in a world of one`s own
- in deep thought or concentration, not caring about other
people He is always in a world of his own and doesn`t notice what
other people say or think.
in black and white
- in writing I want to get the information in black
and white before I go to the meeting.
in cahoots with
- in secret agreement or partnership with someone The
supermarket was in cahoots with the vegetable producer to try and keep the
prices high.
in case
- as a precaution, in order to be prepared In case
there is a fire you should leave the building right away.
in character
- as usual, typical, in the way that a person usually
behaves Supporting the other members of the staff is in character with
her usual actions.
in charge
- in control or authority, responsible He is charge of
the sales department at his company.
in check
- under control, kept quiet or back The violence was
kept in check by the police department and the army.
in clover
- rich or successful, having a pleasant or easy
life They are in clover now that they have sold their business and
retired.
in cold blood
- without feeling or pity, cooly and deliberately The
family was murdered in cold blood by the criminal gang.
in common
- shared together or equally, in use or ownership by
all We had to use the bathroom in common with the other people in the
house.
in deep
- seriously mixed up in something like debt or
trouble He owes a lot of money and is in very deep with his new house
and car.
in due course
- in the usual amount of time, at the right time We
will send the information to you in due course.
in fact
- actually, the truth is He`s been to China before. In
fact he`s been there three times.
in for
- unable to avoid, sure to get He is in for a lot of
trouble now that he is unable to finish his graduation essay.
in good time
- a little early, sooner than necessary I will try and
get the information to you in good time so that you will be able to decide what
to do.
in hand
- under control The teacher had the class in hand when
the principal came to visit the classroom.
in hot water
- in trouble I am in hot water over the extra expenses
that I used during the conference.
in keeping with
- going well together, agreeing, similar In keeping
with our tradition of letting the visiting team kick first we will do it for
this game as well.
in kind
- in a similar way, with the same kind of thing We
will pay them back in kind for the use of their sailboat.
in league with
- in secret agreement or partnership with someone The
union has been in league with management in trying to build the new factory.
in light of
- as a result of new information, because of In light
of his contribution to the company we decided to give him a large summer bonus.
in line
- doing or being what people expect or accept, within ordinary
limits It was difficult to keep the children in line at the picnic but
somehow we managed.
in love
- liking very much, loving He has been in love with
his girlfriend ever since he met her in high school.
in luck
- having good luck, finding something good by chance I
think that we are in luck. I have found two tickets for the concert.
in memory of
- as a reminder of, as a memorial to We decided to put
our money together and buy a painting in memory of our grandfather.
in nothing flat
- quickly I will have this information printed out for
you in nothing flat.
in no time
- soon, quickly I will have this done for you in no
time and then you can go for lunch.
in on
- joining together for something We went in on a
present for our father for Father`s Day.
in on
- told about, having knowledge of I was finally let in
on the secret about why she left our company.
in one`s element
- in an environment or situation that comes naturally to
someone She is in her element being in charge of the new sales
department.
in one`s face
- abruptly, unexpectedly The plan blew up in our face
just as we were ready to start.
in one`s good books (graces)
- approved of by someone, liked by someone I have been
in her good books since I helped her with her work last month.
in one`s hair
- annoying someone She has been in my hair all morning
because she is on her summer holiday starting this week.
in one`s mind`s eye
- in one`s imagination In your mind`s eye try and
imagine that you are on a nice sunny beach in Hawaii.
in one`s shell
- withdrawn, silent, not sociable We have been trying
to get her out of her shell but it is of no use. She doesn`t want to talk to
anyone.
in one`s shoes
- in someone elses place or position I wish that I was
in his shoes with his great job and new car.
in one`s tracks
- abruptly, immediately, just where one is at the
moment I was forced to stop in my tracks when I saw the snake on the
road.
in order to
- for the purpose of We have decided to close down the
school for the summer in order to do some major repairs.
in other words
- say something in a different (usually more direct)
way In other words if you don`t finish the assignment by Wednesday you
will not pass the course.
in part
- to some extent, partly I think the reason he is not
golfing well this year is in part due to his problem with his back.
in point of fact
- really, truthfully In point of fact there were not
enough people at the meeting to vote on the proposal.
ins and outs
- all the details He knows all the ins and outs of the
new machine.
in seventh heaven
- very happy I have been in seventh heaven since I
started my new job.
in short supply
- not enough, in less than the amount or number
needed Chairs were in short supply so some of the guests had to sit on
the floor.
inside and out
- in every part, completely We looked through the room
inside and out for my lost wallet.
inside out
- so that the inside is turned outside She turned her
purse inside out in order to look for her lost key.
inside track
- an advantage, shortest distance around a racetrack I
think that he has the inside track on getting the new job at the computer
company.
in spite of
- in opposition to, despite In spite of the terrible
weather we went to the beach for a picnic.
instead of
- in place of Let`s meet at the restaurant instead of
the department store as we had planned.
in stitches
- laughing They were in stitches over their teacher`s
joke.
in stock
- having something ready to sell or use The store
didn`t have any computer discs in stock so we bought some over the Internet.
in store
- ready to happen, waiting I don`t really know what
the future has in store for me but I will be ready for anything.
in the air
- current, exerting an influence It is in the air that
we will be getting a new president next week.
in the bag
- certain, sure The new contract will be in the bag if
we put in a good proposal.
in the black
- have a credit balance, make a profit The company has
been in the black for over three years now.
in the cards
- to be expected, likely to happen, predictable I
think that a new company structure is in the cards but I can`t be sure.
in the charge of
- under the care or supervision of She has been in the
charge of her grandmother since her mother and father died.
in the clear
- with nothing to limit action, free of anything that makes
moving or seeing difficult We seem to be in the clear now so it should
be safe to cross the road.
in the clear
- free of blame or suspicion The police talked to the
three boys for a few minutes but they seem to be in the clear now.
in the clouds
- far from real life, in dreams, in thought He is
usually in the clouds so you may have trouble finding out what you want to know
from him.
in the course of
- during In the course of his life he visited over 45
countries.
in the dark
- having no information about something He is still in
the dark about my plans to quit my job.
in the doghouse
- in trouble He is in the doghouse with his wife after
staying out drinking last night.
in the first place
- firstly, to begin with Of course I can`t go. In the
first place I must work on Saturday. In the second place I have no money.
in the groove
- at one`s best, doing something very well We are
finally getting in the groove and should be able to finish this job by early
next week.
in the hole
- having a score lower than zero in a game, a score below
zero At the beginning of the card game I was in the hole but later I
began to do well.
in the hole
- in debt, behind financially Although he is always
working he always seems to be in the hole.
in the line of duty
- done or happening as part of a job The police
officer was killed in the line of duty during the bank robbery.
in the long run
- the distant future, in the end For now he is losing
money on his stocks but in the long run he should make money.
in the market for
- wanting or ready to buy something I am in the market
for a new computer as my old one is too slow.
in the red
- lose money, not make a profit The company has been
in the red for three years now.
in the saddle
- in command, in control The president is back in the
saddle again after being ill for several months.
in the same boat
- in a similar situation We are all in the same boat
now that our company has gone out of business.
in the soup
- in serious trouble, in disorder She is in the soup
now that she has had a big fight with her boss.
in the swim
- active in or knowing what is going on He is
definitely in the swim. He has information about everybody.
in the wake of
- as a result of, following In the wake of the large
number of people who have recently left our company we will need to hire some
more people.
in the wind
- soon to happen, being planned It is in the wind that
they are planning to open a new store next year.
in the works
- in preparation, being planned or worked on Don`t
worry about whether or not we will be building the new computer lab. It is
definitely in the works.
in the wrong
- wrong; against justice, truth or fact The driver was
in the wrong and was arrested by the police after the accident.
in time
- early enough I didn`t come home in time to meet my
cousin.
into thin air
- completely, without anything left The group of
hikers vanished into thin air and were never heard of again.
in touch
- talking or writing to each other, giving or getting
news We are still in touch even though we have been out of school for
many years.
in tow
- being pulled The truck had a trailer in tow when it
went off the highway.
in tow
- being taken from place to place, along with
someone She spent the morning at the shopping center with her child in
tow.
in tune
- going well together, in agreement, matching We have
been in tune with each other ever since we met at our high school graduation
party.
in turn
- each following another We went up to the front of
the class in turn in order to pick up our diplomas.
in two shakes of a lamb`s tail
- quickly, in no time at all I will have this finished
in two shakes of a lamb`s tail and then I will give it to you.
in vain
- without effect, without success We tried in vain to
find a good job but it was impossible.
in view of
- after thinking about, because of In view of the
large number of people who have come I think that we will need a bigger room.
in with
- in friendship, favor or closeness with I think that
he was in with the wrong group of people when he was in high school.
iron out
- work out We have ironed out all of our problems and
are finally doing better.
irons in the fire
- things one is doing, projects with which a person is
busy Recently he has too many irons in the fire. That is why he has
become sick.
itching palm
- a wish for money, greed The guard at the border
crossing has an itching palm so be careful of him. 
Idiom Quizzes - I
| 